Legal Costs

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was spent on legal advice and services in each year from 1997 to date; and how much in each such year was paid to Carter, Ruck and Partners.

Nick Harvey: The cost of legal advice and services has been as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Legal advice  Other legal costs  Total costs  Carter Ruck and Partners 
			 2003-04 108,921 — 108,921 — 
			 2004-05 96,737 96,154 192,891 — 
			 2005-06 196,283 79,159 275,442 — 
			 2006-07 134,515 596,586 731,101 — 
			 2007-08 to date 243,337 309,266 552,603 21,517 
		
	
	The other legal costs include fees paid in connection with the refurbishment of Norman Shaw South, and the construction of Portcullis House and the Visitor Reception Building. Details of similar costs prior to 2003 are not available.
	Two previous answers on legal costs—4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 23W, and 23 July 2007,  Official Report, column 659W—included some costs that had been incorrectly allocated to particular years. The figures now provided, correct the earlier position.

Parking

Greg Knight: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what air filtering, circulating or cleansing system services the hon. Members' underground car park; when this system was last operational; when it was last operational; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The underground car park ventilation system was installed around 1977 when the car park was built. It services all car park levels using a supply and extract air plant with filters and duct work.
	The system is maintained and inspected on a monthly basis. This was last done on 17 March 2008. Deep cleaning of the ducts was last completed during 2007. The system was last fully operational around 2001 when the original automatic system controls needed to be replaced with an interim manual controls arrangement. Since then a reduced level of air changes has been provided. However, the rate of air change will be increased by 21 April 2008 to the original level. Major refurbishment of the system is planned currently for 2010-11.

Official Engagements

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his official engagements were between 25 February and 1 April 2008.

Des Browne: Throughout the period 25 February and 1 April, I had various meetings in London and Scotland, including with ministerial colleagues and officials from the MOD and Scotland Office. In addition, on 26 February I had a video/telephone conference with the NATO Secretary-General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. On 28 February, I met the Australian high commissioner. On 29 February, I visited HMS Gannet and met with representatives of the Scottish Pensioners Forum in Edinburgh. On 3 March, I answered Defence questions in the House of Commons and, in the evening, attended the graduation reception of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. On 4 March I had separate meetings with the Dutch ambassador, with Dr. Paul Sender, the recently-returned head of the British Health Organisation in Afghanistan, and with a representative of the media. On 5 March, I answered Scottish questions in the House of Commons. On 6 March, had a meeting with Gerry Grimstone, the chairman of Standard Life. I also had meetings with the Albanian Defence Minister, with former Chiefs of the Defence Staff in the House of Lords, and with the hon. Member for Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies) on the Armed Forces National Recognition Study. On 8 March, I attended a Veterans Badge presentation event in Edinburgh and the RBS six nations Scotland versus England rugby match at Murrayfield. On 19 March, I met representatives of the Scottish War Widows Association at 10 Downing Street. On 25 March, I met the bereaved mother of a serviceman. On 26 March, I gave an interview to a national newspaper and attended President Sarkozy's parliamentary address at the House of Commons. On 27 March, I attended the Anglo-French Summit, which included a bilateral meeting with the French Defence Minister. On 31 March, I attended the launch for Stephen Walker's book, "Shot at Dawn". On 1 April, I attended the Media Launch of TA100, the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army, at the Tower of London and the fly past for the RAF 90th anniversary at MOD Main Building.

Brofiscin Quarry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1302W, on Pollution: Brofiscin Quarry, what factors the Environment Agency will take into account when deciding when it is practicable to place the information on the public register.

Paul Murphy: I have been informed by the Environment Agency Wales that the legislation and statutory guidance do not specify what factors the Environment Agency should consider in deciding when it is practicable to place the prescribed information on the public register. The Government view are simply that it should be added as soon as reasonably practicable, so for example, the prescribed details of a Remediation Notice should be added as soon as reasonably practicable after the service of that notice.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent on the most recent redesign and implementation of her Office's website.

Helen Goodman: The cost for the redesign and formatting of the Leader's website was £3,968 excluding vat.

Catchment Sensitive Farming Project

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which  (a) projects and  (b) locations are part of his Department's catchment sensitive farming project.

Jonathan R Shaw: The England catchment sensitive farming delivery initiative has been in place since April 2006 and is being delivered jointly by Natural England and the Environment Agency on behalf of DEFRA. It is currently based in priority catchments covering a little over a third of the agricultural area of England and its purpose is to encourage farmers to take voluntary action to tackle diffuse water pollution, mainly from nitrates, phosphorus, sediment, pesticides and livestock faeces.
	The main elements of the initiative are: forty priority catchments served by a network of 42 catchment sensitive farming officers working locally; a programme of farmer workshops, farm demonstrations and farm visits; partnership with the pesticides voluntary initiative; local catchment steering groups bringing together farmers, water companies and other stakeholders; a capital grant scheme. In its first two years the initiative also supported 20 projects, with similar aims and objectives, in other catchments.
	In February 2008 DEFRA launched Future Water, the Government's new water strategy for England. This stated that DEFRA will continue to support farmers on catchment sensitive farming for a further three years. DEFRA has since confirmed that the England catchment sensitive farming delivery initiative will receive funding of £12.9 million in 2008-09. Most of the initial programme is being rolled forward for a period of six months, with a new programme planned from October.

Departmental Waste Disposal

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much waste his Department sent to landfill in each year since 1997.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 3 April 2008
	DEFRA was created in 2001, and we are unable to provide data on waste sent to landfill from the date as requested. However, the figures for the last five years are as follows.
	
		
			   Waste sent to landfill (tonnes) 
			 2006-07 1,560 
			 2005-06 1,619 
			 2004-05 1,890 
			 2003-04 2,129 
			 2002-03 1,180 
		
	
	Data is gathered from waste monitoring returns which are collated by each site, this data feeds into the Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reporting.

Fisheries: Subsidies

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information he has received from the European Commission on fuel subsidies to other member state's fishing fleets in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The European Commission does not routinely publish information on fuel subsidies in member states and I have received no information from the Commission in the last 12 months.

Incinerators: Pollution

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether incinerators are assessed for their effects on public health; what a safe level of dioxins is considered to be; and whether his Department has records of incinerators that exceeded this level in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what regulations govern emissions from the incineration of waste in  (a) hospital,  (b) crematorium and  (c) waste incinerators.

Joan Ruddock: Waste incineration plants, including those in hospitals, are subject to the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (the "PPC Regulations") which were superseded from 6 April 2008 by the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007. These regulations require each incinerator to have a permit to operate which is issued by the regulator only after detailed consideration of the environmental and health impacts of the operation. Each permit contains operating conditions which incorporate the requirements of the waste incineration directive (the WID), among which is a maximum emission limit to air for dioxins of 0.1 ng/m(3) expressed as International Toxic Equivalents (ITEQ). This limit is considered to provide adequate protection to the human health and environment.
	Waste incinerators are responsible for a small proportion only of emissions of a range of pollutants. An independent, peer reviewed, study published in 2004, 'Review of the Environmental and Health Effects of Waste Management', concluded that based on the evidence from studies so far:
	"risks to human health from incineration are small in comparison with other known risks".
	Of the 65 incinerators regulated by the Environment Agency, five were reported to have breached the 0.1 ng/m(3) emission limit during 2007. In four of these cases a formal warning was issued by the Environment Agency. In the last case the Environment Agency is considering what enforcement action is required.
	Crematoria are not waste incineration plants and so are not regulated in that way, although they are subject to controls upon emissions to air under other parts of the EPR regulations.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 1180-1W, on waste management: fees and charges, what obligation there is upon the relevant waste collection authority to collect domestic waste put out in receptacles other than those provided by the local authority in those areas where local authorities make a charge for the provision of waste receptacles.

Joan Ruddock: Under section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities (LAs) have a general duty to collect household waste. Section 46 of that Act gives LAs powers to determine arrangements for collection, such as the size, number and placing of receptacles for collection. As DEFRA advised in a letter of August 2005 to LAs, where an authority uses its section 46 powers to prescribe such arrangements and a resident does not comply with those requirements, an LA has no further duty to collect their waste, other than the duty to keep relevant land clear of litter and refuse.

Water Companies: Fines

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the receipts from fines issued to water companies by Ofwat are distributed.

Phil Woolas: Ofwat has powers to impose financial penalties on water and sewerage companies. These are set out in the Water Industry Act 1991, as amended by the Water Act 2003. The statutory provisions Ofwat operate under when considering financial penalties state that the money received from the company's fine must be paid to the Consolidated Fund operated by HM Treasury. This money is then spent on public services.

Crown Prosecution Service: Standards

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Solicitor-General how many  (a) categories and  (b) aspects of the South London Crown Prosecution Service's performance were assessed as good in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2007.

Vera Baird: The HM CPS Inspectorate's overall performance assessment (OPA) reports are based on 13 aspects of performance. There is no assessment based on categories.
	Of the 13 aspects assessed by HM CPS Inspectorate in 2005 for CPS London, south Sector, three aspects were rated as good. In 2007, there were no aspects rated as good.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether personal data for which her Office is responsible is  (a) stored and  (b) processed overseas; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 31 March 2008,  Official Report, column 522W.

Olympic Games 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether there will be any Ministerial involvement in the London Olympic Torch Relay.

Tessa Jowell: I greeted the Beijing Organising Committee on the evening of 5 April, when they brought the flame into the UK. In addition, both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I attended the relay on 6 April, at No. 10 with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, and then later at the Southbank Centre.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days sick leave were taken on average by staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows the number of days lost due to sick absence, per staff year in each of the last five years within the Northern Ireland Office. These figures have been taken from information published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
	
		
			   Number of days lost due to sick absence 
			 2002-03 13.7 
			 2003-04 14.0 
			 2004-05 12.6 
			 2005-06 11.2 
			 2006-07 11.8

Sheridan Group

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what steps his Department took to investigate allegations made in the House by the right hon. Member for East Belfast on 8 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 957-58, of terrorist-related activity by the Sheridan Group; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to answer question 191378, on the Sheridan Group tabled on 27 February 2008.

Paul Goggins: I apologise for the delay in responding. All allegations of criminality drawn to the attention of my Department are referred to the PSNI. In this case the Chief Constable advised that the PSNI had no evidence to suggest that the Sheridan Group had been engaged in criminal activity.

Digital Mapping

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Government Department is the lead body for the development of the Digital National Framework.

Parmjit Dhanda: The activities of the Digital National Framework (www.dnf.org) are agreed by an Expert Group formed of officials representing local and central government, non-Department Government bodies and the private sector. Their aim is to promote linkages across national and local datasets, which have a geographic component, to support the sharing of information about a common location. The majority of their resource comes from "in kind" contributions of individual members, supplemented by limited financial sponsorship to cover promotional activities and some technical documentation. Therefore there is no single body taking the lead of the Digital National Framework.

Fire Services

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) railway accidents were attended by the Fire Service and  (b) people were rescued alive from railway accidents by the Fire Service in each year since 1994.

Parmjit Dhanda: The available information covers the number of railway accidents attended by fire and rescue services, details of any associated rescues are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Railway incidents attended by fire and rescue services in England 
			   Number 
			 1994-95 96 
			 1995-96 93 
			 1996-97 75 
			 1997-98 131 
			 1998-99 92 
			 1999-2000 67 
			 2000-01 108 
			 2001-02 92 
			 2002-03 97 
			 2003-04 69 
			 2004-05 75 
			 2005-06 84

Fire Services

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many road accidents the Fire and Rescue Service attended in each fire authority area in each year since 1994; and how many people were rescued from their vehicles in each year.

Parmjit Dhanda: Available information, for the period 1995 to 2006, has been deposited in the Library of the House. This information includes the number of incidents where people were extricated from vehicles.
	Information on the number of people rescued from these incidences is not centrally held.

Lighting

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1378W, on lighting, whether switching off street lighting at night is deemed to be a service cut, according to the methodology used by her Department.

Parmjit Dhanda: It would depend on the circumstances. As with any action reported as an efficiency gain, a local authority must assess whether service quality has been maintained and provide evidence to that effect as part of their Annual Efficiency Statement.

Local Government Finance: Children

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she received from local authorities on the adequacy of the children's social services formula used in the 2008 to 2011 local government funding settlement in assessing the needs of children in urban areas; and what account she took of such representations.

John Healey: During consultation on the 2008-09 settlement, local authorities representing urban areas expressed a range of views about the Children's Social Services formula that was phased in from 2006-07. Most local authorities that expressed a view favoured the full implementation of the new children's formula, which better reflects the current patterns of relative need than the formula it replaced.
	The House approved the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2008-09, including full implementation of this formula, on 4 February 2008.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use the Valuation Office Agency is making of Prior Agreements for the 2010 business rates valuation.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is keen to make the rating system more transparent. Prior agreement seeks to actively involve ratepayers and their representatives in the rating revaluation process by exchange of information, discussion and—where possible—agreement of a consistent approach to the valuation.
	Prior agreement works best where the property type is of a discrete nature and where the number of different occupiers is limited. The VOA will look at the possibilities for prior agreement in these circumstances.

Property: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what types of amenity or positive facility are currently treated by the Valuation Office Agency as qualifying for a classification of Value Significant Code FO.

John Healey: Value significant codes (VSC) allow the Valuation Office Agency to record electronically property features that may have a positive or negative effect on its value. Examples of the use of the code FO might include properties whose value is enhanced due to their proximity to open fields, a village green or extensive landscaped grounds. Other VSCs may indicate that a property's value is affected negatively for example with no mains drainage or located on an unadopted road. Presence of this, or any other, VSC does not necessarily signal that a property's council tax band should be altered.

Regional Planning and Development

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her response to the examination in public report on the  (a) South West and  (b) East Midlands regional spatial strategies will be published.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State's Proposed Changes, which constitute the response to the Examination in Public Panel Report, for the South West and East Midlands are due to be published in spring 2008.

Regional Planning and Development

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role she plays in approving or amending the final version of the regional spatial strategies of each government office region in England outside London.

Parmjit Dhanda: The role the Secretary of State plays in approving and amending the final RSS is outlined in Planning Policy Statement 11—Regional Spatial Strategies.
	The Secretary of State receives the Examination in Public Panel Report and produces Proposed Changes which are subject to an eight-week consultation period. Having considered representations made the final RSS incorporating any further changes is published together with a statement of reasons for any changes made.

Regional Planning and Development

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the names and addresses are of each Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership; and how much funding is allocated to each in 2008-09.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships  Allocation for 2008-09 (£) 
			 West Midlands Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership 5,327,000 
			 Regional Partnership Centre  
			 Albert House  
			 Quay Place  
			 Edward Street  
			 Birmingham B1 2RA  
			   
			 Capital Ambition 5,702,000 
			 London Councils  
			 59&frac12; Southwark Street  
			 London SE1 0AL  
			   
			 North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership 5,952,000 
			 Waterside Drive  
			 Off Swan Meadow Road  
			 Wigan  
			 Lancashire WN3 5BA  
			   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership 4,753,000 
			 18 King Street  
			 Wakefield WF1 2SQ  
			   
			 South East Improvement and Efficiency Partnership 7,190,000 
			 Tandridge District Council  
			 Station Road  
			 East Oxted  
			 Surrey RH8 0BT  
			   
			 Lift SW 5,678,000 
			 Suite 5 Stowey House  
			 Bridport Road  
			 Poundbury  
			 Dorchester DT1 3SB  
			   
			 Improvement East 5,890,000 
			 Flempton House  
			 Flempton  
			 Bury St. Edmonds  
			 Suffolk IP28 6EG  
			   
			 East Midlands Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership 5,303,000 
			 47 Loughborough Road  
			 West Bridgford  
			 Nottingham NG2 7QP  
			   
			 North East Improvement and Efficiency Partnership 4,203,000 
			 c/o Association of North East Councils  
			 Guildhall  
			 Quayside  
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 3AF

Developing Countries: Diseases

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to fund research into  (a) vaccines,  (b) microbiocides,  (c) drugs and  (d) diagnostics for (i) guinea-worm disease, (ii) river blindness, (iii) lymphatic filariasis, (iv) schistosmiasis, (v) intestinal helminths, (vi) leishmaniasis and (vi) sleeping sickness; and what recent discussions he has had with the World Health Organisation on tackling these diseases.

Gillian Merron: The 2006 Department for International Development (DFID) White Paper referred to the need for a substantial increase in DFID funding for drug and vaccine development. More details about plans to fund research will be available when DFID's new research strategy is launched. New funding will be awarded following open competition, so it is not currently possible to identify exactly which areas will be supported.
	DFID are in close and regular contact with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The International Health Partnership (IHP), which is being led by the WHO and the World Bank, aims to help develop and put in place country health plans that include tackling these diseases.

Developing Countries: Health Education

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to encourage European counterparts to increase their contributions to multilateral organisations working on sexual and reproductive health in developing countries.

Gillian Merron: The UK Government regularly encourage European counterparts to increase their investment in multilateral organisations working on sexual and reproductive health.
	DFID recently pledged £100 million over five years to UNFPA's Reproductive Health Commodity Supply Programme, to improve the availability of family planning supplies in developing countries. To encourage other development partners to increase their support for UNFPA we are sharing the analytical work on this programme and which shaped our decision to support UNFPA, together with the performance monitoring framework by which we will judge the success of the programme.
	And at the recent UNFPA informal donors meeting the UK Government also lobbied their development partners for increased investment in sexual and reproductive health.
	The UK was the first government donor to support the Safe Abortion Action Fund in 2007, with funding of £4 million. The UK's initial pledge has resulted in several other donors also contributing a further £3 million.

Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of aid from his Department to  (a) India,  (b) Tanzania,  (c) Sudan,  (d) Bangladesh,  (e) Pakistan,  (f) Afghanistan,  (g) Ethiopia,  (h) Nigeria,  (i) Uganda,  (j) Democratic Republic of Congo,  (k) Ghana,  (l) Kenya,  (m) Malawi,  (n) Zambia,  (o) Indonesia,  (p) Mozambique,  (q) Vietnam,  (r) Iraq,  (s) Nepal and  (t) China in 2006-07 was classified as direct budgetary support.

Shahid Malik: Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) is aid provided to a partner government to support poverty reduction programmes and spent using the Government's own financial management, procurement and accountability systems. PRBS includes General Budget Support which aims to help implement the Government's poverty reduction strategy; and Sector Budget Support which aims to achieve objectives within a particular sector or sectors.
	The Department for International Development's (DFID) total bilateral programme in 2006-07 in the 20 countries listed was £1.65 billion. £448 million of this (27 per cent.) was delivered in the form of PRBS.
	Details on the level of PRBS provided to each country and the proportion of DFID's total bilateral programme PRBS represents in each country for 2006-07 are in the following table.
	
		
			  DFID Bilateral Programme, 2006-07 
			   Total DFID Bilateral Programme (£000)  Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) (£000)  Proportion of total Bilateral Programme delivered as PRBS (percentage) 
			 India 233,857 16,000 6.8 
			 Tanzania 112,220 90,000 80.2 
			 Pakistan 101,118 52,500 51.9 
			 Ethiopia 90,497 69,883 77.2 
			 Uganda 77,981 40,000 51.3 
			 Ghana 68,831 45,753 66.5 
			 Malawi 63,309 33,335 52.7 
			 Zambia 61,369 23,300 38.0 
			 Mozambique 56,273 36,800 65.4 
			 Vietnam 52,401 34,500 65.8 
			 Nepal 42,833 5,446 12.7 
		
	
	DFID did not provide PRBS to Sudan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Indonesia, Iraq or China in 2006-07.

Somalia: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of people who have left  (a) Mogadishu and  (b) Somalia because of the conflict there.

Gillian Merron: The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimate that 64,000 Somalis have been forced to leave their home in Mogadishu during 2008. This is in addition to the 700,000 people displaced from Mogadishu during 2007.
	UNHCR also estimate that since 1 January 2008, approximately 15,000 Somalis have sought asylum in neighbouring countries. Provisional UNHCR estimates are that as of the end of 2006 there were 464,253 Somali refugees.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions  (a) he,  (b) members of his Department and  (c) UK representatives have had with (i) members and (ii) representatives of (A) the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, (B) the Government of Ethiopia, (C) the European Commission, (D) the Governments of member states of the European Union and (E) the United States Administration, regarding (1) the provision of basic (aa) humanitarian and (bb) medical supplies and (2) the humanitarian situation in (v) Mudug region, (w) Galgadud region, (x) Nugaal region, (y) Bakool region and (z) Mogadishu; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Officials at the Department for International Development, together with colleagues at the British high commission in Nairobi and the British embassy in Addis Ababa, are in regular contact with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, including the President and Prime Minister, and with the Government of Ethiopia. The discussions are varied, and the humanitarian situation has been regularly discussed, specifically on allowing agencies and NGOs unhindered access to areas in need.
	Officials based in Nairobi meet regularly through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) to co-ordinate humanitarian assistance. The United States of America, European Commission and member states of the European Union are all represented at these meetings.
	The UK Government maintain regular contact with all parties the hon. Member lists. The Minister for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), my right hon. Friend Lord Malloch Brown, raised humanitarian issues when he met President Yusuf in January 2008 and with Prime Minister Hussein and the Government of Ethiopia at the African Union summit in February 2008. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn)—former Secretary of State for DFID—met with President Yusuf last year and discussed the humanitarian situation.
	Most of DFID's humanitarian assistance (which includes medical supplies) is not earmarked to regions within Somalia. This enables our implementing partners (e.g. the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme) to remain flexible and to react to changing circumstances on the ground. However, some of the NGOs that we support work in specific areas, e.g. a nutrition programme with the International Medical Corps (IMC) in Bakool and a nutrition, water and sanitation programme through Action contre le faim (ACF) in Galgadud.

Aviation: Fuels

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the effect on forecast unconstrained demand for airport capacity in 2030 as shown in the Future of Air Travel Progress Report of using the most recent cost of aviation fuel instead of the assumed figure of $42 per barrel;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the effect on forecast unconstrained demand for airport capacity in 2030 as shown in the Future of Air Travel Progress Report of including the recent change in Air Passenger Duty.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The results of updating the forecasts of air passenger demand in 'The Future of Air Transport Progress Report' (2006) with latest data, including the 2007 increase in Air Passenger Duty, were reported in 'UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts' (November 2007), which is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
	Table 2.9 (p. 37) shows the central forecast is for unconstrained air passenger demand to grow from 228 million passengers per annum (mppa) in 2005 to 495mppa in 2030.

Aviation: Fuels

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the average proportion of airline costs fuel represents, calculated on the same basis as the figure given in the Future of Air Transport White Paper.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Table 2.3 of CAA's 'Airline Financial Statistics 2006-07' reports a breakdown of operating revenues and expenses for major UK airlines. This is available at:
	http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=80&pagetype=88&sglid=13&fld=2006_2007
	The data show that 'aircraft fuel and oil1 accounted for £4.0 billion (26 per cent.) of the £15.6 billion total operating expenses incurred by major UK airlines in 2006.

Bus Services: Nationalisation

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals to bring local bus services back into public ownership.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have looked at various times at the issue of bus regulation, starting with the 1998 White Paper which led to the Transport Act 2000; and last year's review which has led to the proposals in the Local Transport Bill giving among other things, more scope for local authority involvement in bus services.
	On each occasion in the past, we concluded that constructive partnership between a largely private sector industry and local authorities is a better way forward than wholesale re-regulation in delivering the services needed by passengers. Indeed, we feel that the private sector strengths in management, innovation and investment are central to the future of the industry.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on the most recent redesign and implementation of her departmental website.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The new Department for Transport (DFT) website was launched on 26 January 2007. A new content management system was implemented and the project costs were £1.5 million.
	These costs covered accessibility and usability testing; design of a new information architecture based on user feedback and testing; development of a new visual design; the design and build of the system; migration of content and the purchase of an enterprise software licence. The enterprise software licence allows the Department to migrate other DFT sites to the same content management system without incurring further licence costs. This will help to reduce hosting and maintenance costs across the Department.

Driving Licenses: Lost Property

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving licences her Department and its agencies have  (a) requested as proof of identity or for addition of points,  (b) received and  (c) had reported lost or stolen by (i) the Department or its agencies and (ii) the owner of the licence.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not request Licences as proof of identity.
	 (b) The vast majority of points that are recorded on Licences are recorded by either the Courts or a Fixed Penalty Office. (FPO). Normally the only instance when a Licence would be requested is if the driver is unable to produce the Licence to the Court or FPO.
	 (c)
	(i) The Department for Transport does not keep these figures.
	(ii) Drivers who report a Licence lost or stolen do so by applying for a duplicate Licence. Duplicates may be applied for for other reasons e.g. damage, and our records do not differentiate between the reason for the issue of duplicates.

Driving: Epilepsy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she last issued guidance on driving and epilepsy.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) issued guidance, including guidance on epilepsy and driving in February 2008.

Driving: Epilepsy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents caused by an epileptic fit on the part of a driver there were in 2007.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information on the number of accidents caused by drivers with specific medical conditions is not collected. Figures relating to reported personal injury road accidents in 2007 are not available until end June 2008.

Driving: Licensing

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have had their driving licence withdrawn on medical grounds in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Data is only available for calendar years 2004, 2005 and 2006. The data is broken down to ordinary (car/bike) and vocational lorry/bus) driving entitlement. The data relates to drivers who have either had their current licences revoked, or applications for a licence refused.
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006 
			 Ordinary 24,256 26,245 25,525 
			 Vocational 5,972 6,100 5,166

Driving: Licensing

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the procedures used when someone has their driving licence returned following earlier withdrawal on health grounds; and whether she plans to review these procedure.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has been considering the effectiveness of all aspects of the system in place in Great Britain for ensuring that drivers are medically fit to drive.
	The Department for Transport is currently preparing a public consultation on possible changes. A date has not yet been set for its publication.

Galileo

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many jobs she estimates will be created in the UK as a direct result of the Galileo project.

Rosie Winterton: UKspace—the UK industry association for space—currently assesses that about 400 highly skilled engineers and technicians are working: directly on Galileo and as many as 1,600 posts are dependent on Galileo in the wider supply chain and employment in the UK.
	Developing the downstream products and applications for Galileo is where it is expected that the major part of the benefits will occur, and where most jobs are expected to be generated. However it is difficult to be specific about the number of jobs that will become dependent upon the Galileo system in the UK, at this time, as future growth in this sector will depend on the outcome of forthcoming procurement competitions.

Galileo

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent review was conducted of the  (a) costs,  (b) risks,  (c) revenues and  (d) timetable of the Galileo project.

Rosie Winterton: The European Commission's most recent review of the Galileo programme's costs, risks, revenues and timetable was published in its Communication of 26 September 2007 entitled: "Progressing Galileo: Re-Profiling the European GNSS Programmes" and the accompanying staff working document.

Great Western Trains: Standards

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of all recorded  (a) delays,  (b) cancellations and  (c) diversions of passenger rail services under the Greater Western franchise in the last two years were attributable to (i) track and signalling infrastructure failures and (ii) engineering works for which Network Rail was responsible.

Tom Harris: Train performance data for the rail network is collected and processed by Network Rail. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Rackspace

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 745W, on Rackspace, which of her Department's websites Rackspace was contracted to host between 2005 and 2008.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Rackspace were used by the Department during the development of a secure site to be used by the 38 safety camera partnerships operating within the National Safety Camera Programme for England and Wales. The work was however cancelled before completion following the Secretary of State's announcement on 15 December 2005 that the national programme was to cease on 31 March 2007.

Speed Limits: Radar

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to restrict  (a) the sale and  (b) the use of devices to detect road-side police enforcement radar sites.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Road Safety Act 2006 gives the Secretary of State the power to prohibit by regulations a vehicle being fitted with, or a person using a vehicle carrying speed assessment equipment detection devices. The Government have always made clear that they do not intend to prohibit the use of purely GPS based devices which identify the location of cameras through publicly available information. It does however wish to prevent the carriage and use of devices which detect or interfere with the operation of speed measuring equipment through other means. The actual devices to be covered by the ban will be the subject of full public consultation before the associated secondary legislation is laid before Parliament.

Transport: Fuels

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) evidence she has evaluated and  (b) research she has commissioned, on the whole life carbon emission consequences of the replacement of fossil fuels by biofuels for transportation purposes; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In 2005 the Government undertook a detailed feasibility study into the practicality of introducing an obligation for renewable transport fuel. As part of this study, the Government took into account a wide range of scientific evidence on the costs and benefits of biofuels including Government-funded studies by Sheffield Hallam university and the Central Science Laboratory considering the lifecycle benefits and impacts of biofuels. Research published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in association with the European Council for Automotive Research and Development (EUCAR) and the Oil Companies' European Organisation for Environment, Health and Safety (CONCAWE)) on biofuels and other potential future transport fuels was also taken into account.
	In 2006, the Government commissioned the development of a carbon calculation methodology for biofuels to underpin the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). This included proposed default carbon saving assumptions for a variety of biofuels, taking account of evidence from a wide range of scientific studies.
	In 2007, Defra commissioned AEA Technology to undertake a review of work on the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and environmental sustainability of international biofuels production and use. Their report is due to be published shortly.
	The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) is also currently leading a review of evidence of the wider environmental and economic effects of biofuels. Part of this review will include a study examining the evidence concerning the GHG emissions arising from land-change, cultivation of biofuels, agricultural practices and advanced biofuel technologies. An initial report from the RFA is expected by 27 June including recommendations for further work.
	The Government will continue to take into account new scientific evidence on the impacts of biofuels as it becomes available, and will continue to tailor their biofuel policies accordingly.

Binge Drinking

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of the availability of alcohol on levels of binge drinking.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office's review of the alcohol industry's social responsibility standards document and the Department of Health's review of the links between alcohol pricing, promotion and harm will report later in the year and will form the basis of further action to tackle binge drinking and alcohol-related harms.
	In addition, as announced in the publication of the first review of the Licensing Act in March, we will undertake further comprehensive research into post-midnight drinking patterns and their impact on crime and order, and will not hesitate to take the necessary action through new legislation and enforcement measures to tackle this.

Policing: Stop and Search

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to enable the police to carry out stop and searches more effectively.

Tony McNulty: Flanagan Review of Policing looked carefully at Stop and Search (and Stop and Account) effectiveness. In line with its views, the Review of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) will propose that, where effective hand-held IT is in use, the lengthy written record at point of contact will no longer be required.
	This has the potential to save around 285,000 hours of officers' time per annum, better support intelligence-led policing and speed the process for the public. We are firstly piloting this approach in Stop and Account, with a view to rolling it out nationally later this year. We are also reviewing the guidance on the use of the Stop and Search powers under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
	To boost effectiveness, and responding to crime recording management recommendations in the Flanagan Review of Policing, we are looking to combine work on Stop and Account and crime recording to determine how best to consider and use the information collected, and assess its impact on community engagement and confidence. Records obtained from stops should be used to enhance local intelligence.

Police Funding: Airports

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to bring forward legislation to reform the allocation of funding for policing at airports.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office and Department for Transport are jointly taking forward work to strengthen airport security planning at airports and establish a transparent funding process for policing costs. This work builds on the recommendations of the Independent Review of Airport Policing carried out by Stephen Boys Smith.
	We understand the importance of these measures and are actively seeking to place them on a legislative footing at the earliest opportunity to introduce a more robust system that ensures individual airports look at all the threats and risks, that appropriate mitigation is in place and that the airport operator meets the costs of any agreed uniformed police presence.

Domestic Violence

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to reduce the incidence of domestic violence.

Jacqui Smith: We have developed a national delivery plan to address domestic violence.
	The plan includes the development of 98 Specialist Domestic Violence Courts, and national coverage of Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences, these are now part of the Tackling Violence Action Plan 2008-11.
	We are doubling the number of Specialist Domestic Violence Courts, rolling out Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences by 2011 and ensuring that vulnerable victims of domestic violence will have access to specialist support services.
	We will be continuing to fund Independent Domestic Violence Advisers to support the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts in 2008-09.
	We are committed to ensuring perpetrators are held to account and we are developing proposals for extending existing arrangements for managing violent offenders in order to manage proactively those individuals who are identified as being at risk of committing serious violence.

Credit Cards: Theft

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to compel credit card companies to report the  (a) theft and  (b) misuse of credit cards to the police; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The financial industry, the police and the Home Office all recognised that the system for reporting and recording cheque, plastic card and internet banking fraud that applied prior to 1 April 2007 was both bureaucratic and did little to further the investigation and prosecution of offenders.
	To combat this, the Home Office with agreement from Association of Chief Police Officers and APACS (UK Payments Association), introduced a new system. From 1 April 2007, it became the responsibility of financial institutions to pass on directly to the police, via a single point of contact in each police force, those matters where an investigation could be pursued, to provide a greater chance of prosecuting offenders than before.
	The changes to reporting and recording are intended to reduce the level of bureaucracy involved in fraud recording, and streamline the reporting and initial investigation of such frauds. A Home Office chaired group comprising representatives from the banks and law enforcement meets to keep these new arrangements under review and make changes where appropriate.
	As part of work to implement the findings of the Fraud Review, new money has recently been allocated to establish a new National Fraud Reporting Centre which will equip law enforcement agencies with a powerful intelligence tool and help form the basis of better prevention advice and alerts to fraud threats for business and the public.

Crime: Victims

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of victims of  (a) violent incidents,  (b) burglaries and  (c) vehicle-related thefts were (i) unemployed, (ii) employed, (iii) a student, (iv) looking after a family home, (v) long-term or temporarily sick, (vi) retired and (vii) other unclassified in each police force area in each year since 1997;
	(2)  in how many and what percentage of violent incidents the victim was classified in ACORN categories  (a) wealthy achievers,  (b) urban prosperity,  (c) comfortably off,  (d) moderate means and  (e) hard pressed in each police force area in each year since 1997;
	(3)  in how many and what percentage of  (a) incidents of violence against the person,  (b) burglaries,  (c) vehicle related thefts,  (d) incidents of vandalism and  (e) thefts from the person the victim had a yearly income of (i) less than £10,000, (ii) between £10,000 and £20,000, (iii) between £20,000 and £30,000, (iv) between £30,000 and £40,000, (v) between £40,000 and £50,000 and  (f) £50,000 and above in each police force area, in each year since 1997;
	(4)  in how many and what percentage of  (a) violent incidents,  (b) burglaries,  (c) vehicle related thefts,  (d) vandalism and  (e) thefts from the person the victim was (i) an owner occupier, (ii) a social renter and (iii) a private renter in each police force area, in each year since 1997;
	(5)  how many and what percentage of  (a) victims of burglary and  (b) others owned (i) a burglar alarm, (ii) a deadlock, (iii) an outdoor sensor, (iv) an indoor sensor, (v) window locks, (vi) window bars and (vii) a security chain on the door in each police force area in England and Wales, in each year since 1997;
	(6)  in how many and what percentage of  (a) violent incidents,  (b) burglaries,  (c) vehicle related thefts,  (d) cases of vandalism and  (e) cases of theft from the person the victim lived in (i) a semi-detached house, (ii) a detached house, (iii) a terraced house, (iv) a flat/maisonette and (v) other accommodation in each police force area, in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available at police force area level.
	The British Crime Survey is designed to examine variations in levels of victimisation by sub-groups of the population across England and Wales as a whole. Expanding the survey to provide similar estimates at police force area level could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Crimes of Violence: Yorkshire and the Humber

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence against the person were recorded in Haltemprice and Howden constituency in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 3 April 2008
	Statistics are not collected specifically on a constituency basis. The Home Office does publish statistics at Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area level. The number of offences of violence against the person for each of the last five years by CDRP is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/cdrpog.xls
	Also available is a look-up table that identifies which constituencies are associated with CDRPs. In many instances, a CDRP may comprise of more than one constituency. Conversely, some constituencies will come within two or more CDRPs, either wholly or partially. The look-up table is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/cdrp-constituency-table.xls
	Copies of both the statistics table and the look-up table are available in the Library.

Woodhill Prison: Electronic Surveillance

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many conversations between staff of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and Babar Ahmed which took place at Woodhill Prison were recorded; under what authorisation each such recording took place; and at what level such authorisation was given in each case.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 31 March 2008
	I have asked the chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission to write to the right hon. Gentleman.

Domestic Violence: Victim Support Schemes

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was provided to  (a) the National Domestic Helpline,  (b) the Women's Aid and  (c) the Victim Supportline in each year since 2001.

Vernon Coaker: Figures for funding for the National Domestic Violence Helpline from 2001-03 are not available as it was first established as a single service in December 2003. £1.4 million was provided by the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) for the next three years. In 2005-06, responsibility for the helpline transferred to the Home Office as part of the National Delivery Plan for Domestic Violence and £60,000 was provided in addition to £00,000 which was transferred from ODPM. In 2006-07 the Home Office provided £250,000 and this has now increased to £500,000 in 2007-08.
	Figures for the funding for Women's Aid prior to 2003 are not available, but since 2003 they have been given the following funding:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 37,000 
			 2006-07 37,000 
			 2005-06 115,000 
			 2004-05 115,000 
			 2003-04 190,000 
		
	
	Since 2001, Victim Support has allocated £200,000 of its annual grant in aid from the Office for Criminal Justice Reform to the running of its Victim Supportline.

Genetics: Databases

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on retention of DNA profiles collected by the police from individuals.

Meg Hillier: The taking and retention of DMA samples are subject to the provisions contained in Part V of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984. PACE provides that samples may be retained for persons who have been arrested and detained at the police station for a recordable offence; and that profiles taken from these samples and placed on the database may be subject to speculative search. We consider that is a proportionate and effective threshold to help eliminate the innocent during the course of an investigation as well contributing to the detection and conviction of the guilty.

Offences Against the Person Act 1861

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were recorded under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 in each year since 2002, broken down by offence; and what percentage of these offences  (a) resulted in court proceedings against suspected perpetrators,  (b) led to a conviction and  (c) resulted in a sanction detection.  [Official Report, 13 June 2008, Vol. 477, c. 6MC.]

Vernon Coaker: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Table 1 gives the number of offences recorded under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 since 2002 that are separately identifiable within police recorded crime statistics. It also gives the number of offences detected by means of a sanction detection. Table 2 shows the numbers of defendants proceeded against and found guilty at all courts for the years 2002 to 2006, and is taken from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
	The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Recorded crime and court proceedings statistics are from two different databases and recorded in quite different ways. Recorded crime data is provided on a financial year basis and counts offences whereas court proceedings data are on a calendar year basis and count offenders. Therefore, these two separate data-sets are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1: offences recorded under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and detected by means of a sanction detection 
			2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			   Offence  Number of offences  Number of sanction detections  Number of offences  Number of sanction detections  Number of offences  Number of sanction detections 
			 17A Sexual assault on a male aged 13 and over 1,316 297 1,428 370 1,450 397 
			 17B Sexual assault on a male child under 13 1,227 291 1,394 456 1,237 441 
			 19C Rape of a female aged 16 and over 8,192 1,578 8,725 1,843 8,228 1,744 
			 19D Rape of a female child under 16 3,014 868 3,153 932 2,853 805 
			 19E Rape of a female child under 13 970 276 1,388 496 1,524 553 
			 19F Rape of a male aged 16 and over 444 46 438 70 413 58 
			 19G Rape of a male child under 16 322 99 292 116 261 83 
			 19H Rape of a male child under 13 297 94 364 129 458 148 
			 20A Sexual assault on a female aged 13 and over 15,087 2,967 17,158 4,413 16,887 4,355 
			 20B Sexual assault on a female child under 13 4,391 1,151 4,647 1,632 4,249 1,494 
			 21 Sexual activity involving child under 13 1,510 405 1,950 629 1,937 636 
			 22B Sexual activity involving child under 16 2,546 696 3,283 1,124 3,210 1,058 
			 22A Causing sexual activity without consent(1) 239 57 744 596 224 58 
			 23 Incest or familial sexual offences 713 178 966 330 1,344 406 
			 70 Sexual activity etc. with a person with a mental disorder 104 11 139 29 163 43 
			 71 Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography 99 28 124 84 101 51 
			 72 Trafficking for sexual exploitation 21 8 33 23 43 22 
			 73 Abuse of position of trust of a sexual nature 682 562 463 385 361 265 
			 88A Sexual grooming 186 49 237 101 322 125 
			 88B Other miscellaneous sexual offences 11,593 2,217 11,363 2,769 10,212 2,652 
			 (1) The increase in 2005-06 was accounted for by a large number of offences that were dealt with by the Norfolk constabulary. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for abandoning children and concealment of birth, England and Wales 2002-06( 1,2) 
			2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			   Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 12 Abandoning children aged under two years 4 — 9 1 4 — 4 — 4 2 
			 15 Concealment of birth — — 4 4 1 — 3 3 3 3 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Children in Care: Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in care were served with an anti-social behaviour order in each of the last nine years.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Children in Care: Missing Persons

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were reported missing from social services care in each of the last five years; how many were missing for more for over one month, how many were missing for more than three months and how many were missing for more than six months.

Kevin Brennan: The number of children looked after who were reported missing from care in each of the last five years for over one month (more than 30 days), more than three months (more than 90 days) and for more than six months (more than 180 days) is shown in the following table. Where a child was reported missing from his or her agreed placement on more than one occasion during the same year, he or she has been counted only once.
	
		
			  Children looked after who were reported missing during the years ending 31 March 2003 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) —England 
			  Children missing from placement during the year ending 31 March:  2003( 5)  2004( 6)  2005( 6)  2006( 6)  2007( 6) 
			 over 30 days 570 320 370 370 350 
			 over 90 days 390 180 200 200 190 
			 over 180 days 280 120 150 110 120 
			 (1) Source: SSDA903 return on children looked after. (2) Children looked after at any time during the year ending 31 March. (3) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (4) A child is recorded with a missing placement if he/she is absent for more than 24-hours from his/her agreed placement. Children who are missing from care are categorised in three types of missing placements: (a) In Refuge for children at risk, as defined in Section 51 of Children Act 1989, (b) Whereabouts of young people know to social services (but not in refuge) excluding agreed absences from placement such as holidays or planned breaks, (c) Whereabouts unknown. (5) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 one-third sample survey. (6) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which since 2004 covered all looked after children. (7) Historical figures may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (8) To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 or to the nearest 10 otherwise, placement.

Children in Care: Missing Persons

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government plan to take to address trends in the number of children going missing while in care.

Beverley Hughes: In 2002 Government published 'Children Missing from Home and Care—a Guide to Good Practice'. This guidance was issued along with Circular LAC (2002)17 under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, requiring local authorities to comply with it. The guidance sets out how local authorities and their partner agencies are expected to respond when young people go missing from their care placements. It includes information about measures that local authorities should put in place to prevent children from going missing as well as on reporting incidents. One of its requirements is that each local authority must appoint a designated senior manager to be responsible for monitoring missing from care incidents to identify any trends and to instigate any action necessary to respond to children's' needs ensuring that they are properly safeguarded.
	On 26 March we published 'Care Matters: Time to deliver for children in Care'. This sets out our intention to update and re-issue guidance to the Children Act 1989 and subsequent legislation. As part of this process we will be reviewing our 2002 guidance. This will provide us with the opportunity to consider whether in future we should include more information about how local authorities carry out their responsibilities to monitor any patterns and trends relating to children going missing from their care placements.

Children: Abuse

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many times reasonable chastisement has been used as a defence in court cases involving violence against children in each of the last 10 years.

Kevin Brennan: This information has not been collected centrally and is therefore not available for each of the last 10 years as requested. However, since July 2007 the Crown Prosecution Service area offices have been notifying the Crown Prosecution Service's Policy Directorate of any cases where the reasonable punishment defence has been used. To date no such cases have been notified.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of managers of day care settings who were male in  (a) Basingstoke,  (b) Hampshire and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: Data are not available on the sex of managers of full day care.
	The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that the average proportion of male staff working in full day care settings in England was 2 per cent. In total, there were 2,500 male staff working in full day care settings in England.
	The average proportion of male staff working in full day care settings in England for each year available is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Male staff working in full day care settings in England 
			   Average proportion of male staff per setting (percentage)  Total number of male staff 
			 2001 2 1,900 
			 2003 2 2,000 
			 2005 2 2,500 
			 2006 2 2,500 
		
	
	Data are not available at a local authority level.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average number of hours worked per week by  (a) childcarers in maintained settings,  (b) childcarers in private, voluntary and independent nurseries and  (c) childminders in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that staff working In full day care in children's centres worked an average (mean) of 34 hours a week in 2006, compared with an average of 17 hours a week for staff in sessional settings. Data for all child care and early years providers for each year available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Average number of hours worked per week by staff in child care and early years provision in maintained schools 
			   2003  2005  2006 
			 Full day care 35 32 33 
			 Full day care in children's centres n/a n/a 34 
			 Sessional 17 18 17 
			 After school clubs 19 n/a 19 
			 Holiday clubs 31.5 n/a 27 
			 Nursery schools 32.5 n/a 32 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes 33 n/a 31 
			 Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes 28 n/a 30 
			  Notes:  1. Children's centres were included in the survey for the first time in 2006; therefore data is not available for previous years.  2. After school and holiday clubs were sampled differently in 2005 and comparable figures for this year are not available.  3. Early years settings in maintained schools were not included in the 2005 survey. 
		
	
	In 2006 full day care staff in privately owned settings worked an average of 35 hours a week, compared with 26 hours for full day care staff in settings under voluntary ownership. 2006 data for all child care providers available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Average number of hours worked per week by staff in child care providers, by ownership of setting, 2006 
			   Private  Voluntary  Local authority  School/college  Other 
			 Full day care 35 26 32 33 35 
			 Full day care in children's centres 35 34 34 34 35 
			 Sessional 17 16 20 25 15 
			 Out of school care 26 20 25 19 27 
			  Note: Data for other providers are not available by type of ownership. 
		
	
	The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that childminders looked after children for an average of 16 hours a week in term time, and for 23 hours a week in school holidays. Data for each year available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Average number of hours childminders looked after children 
			   Term time  School holidays 
			 2005 17 25 
			 2006 16 23 
			  Note:  The wording in the childminders survey was changed in 2005; therefore comparable data for previous years is not available.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department gives to local authorities to promote the childcare sustainability grant to childcare providers.

Beverley Hughes: The Department's statutory guidance, "Securing Sufficient Childcare", which was distributed to local authorities in summer 2007, contains examples of circumstances in which they should consider providing financial support from the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant to childcare providers. While it is for local authorities to decide their own priorities for funding providers, and how they publicise the availability of funding, the guidance makes clear the need to demonstrate "transparency and fairness".
	Local authorities are told that they
	"should ensure that appropriate criteria are in place for deciding which providers should receive support, and that funding systems treat providers in all sectors of the market equitably".

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department allocates to each local authority for the childcare sustainability grant; and what indicators are used to assess how much each local authority should receive in respect of the grant.

Beverley Hughes: In the 2006-08 period, funding for this activity was included as part of Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant which covered not only child care sustainability but support for early years outcomes, quality and inclusion. A number of different factors were used to determine the allocations and these included numbers of children, deprivation measures, Ofsted registered stock figures, and rurality measures. In addition, for the 2008-11 period, an inflationary uplift was added to this wider allocation block above and the resulting funding was split equally between child care sufficiency and access and early years outcomes, quality and inclusion. These funding streams sit within the wider revenue block of the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant and the overall allocations were smoothed to ensure that each authority received a minimum increase of 5 per cent.
	The 2008-09 allocations, by authority, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant: Childcare Sufficiency and Access Funding, 2008-09 
			   £ 
			 Barking and Dagenham 406,977 
			 Barnet 791,906 
			 Barnsley 540,409 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 371,612 
			 Bedfordshire 910,435 
			 Bexley 503,471 
			 Birmingham 2,819,672 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 766,870 
			 Blackpool 349,044 
			 Bolton 702,894 
			 Bournemouth 391,687 
			 Bracknell Forest 256,045 
			 Bradford 1,282,566 
			 Brent 597,230 
			 Brighton and Hove 567,103 
			 Bristol 976,036 
			 Bromley 740,285 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,254,645 
			 Bury 531,676 
			 Calderdale 551,502 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,467,051 
			 Camden 500,316 
			 Cheshire 1,579,483 
			 City of London 89,607 
			 Cornwall 1,061,627 
			 Coventry 810,119 
			 Croydon 840,075 
			 Cumbria 973,830 
			 Darlington 280,965 
			 Derby 602,785 
			 Derbyshire 1,574,419 
			 Devon 1,466,131 
			 Doncaster 691,640 
			 Dorset 720,426 
			 Dudley 655,626 
			 Durham 1,131,249 
			 Ealing 741,495 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 682,454 
			 East Sussex 1,062,222 
			 Enfield 602,110 
			 Essex 2,916,612 
			 Gateshead 505,540 
			 Gloucestershire 1,349,268 
			 Greenwich 638,101 
			 Hackney 663,740 
			 Halton 585,708 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 383,577 
			 Hampshire 2,924,575 
			 Haringey 561,050 
			 Harrow 444,783 
			 Hartlepool 300,336 
			 Havering 484,970 
			 Herefordshire 391,717 
			 Hertfordshire 2,687,393 
			 Hillingdon 578,208 
			 Hounslow 513,755 
			 Isle of Wight 301,393 
			 Isles of Scilly 67,485 
			 Islington 579,570 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 386,679 
			 Kent 3,079,754 
			 Kingston upon Hull 593,823 
			 Kingston upon Thames 362,413 
			 Kirklees 1,041,375 
			 Knowsley 446,859 
			 Lambeth 748,965 
			 Lancashire 2,748,524 
			 Leeds 1,716,504 
			 Leicester City 809,577 
			 Leicestershire 1,367,999 
			 Lewisham 710,780 
			 Lincolnshire 1,370,260 
			 Liverpool 1,124,985 
			 Luton 517,813 
			 Manchester 1,120,447 
			 Medway 567,324 
			 Merton 441,959 
			 Middlesbrough 557,832 
			 Milton Keynes 597,734 
			 NE Lincolnshire 425,160 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 669,703 
			 Newham 854,138 
			 Norfolk 1,581,566 
			 North Lincolnshire 351,449 
			 North Somerset 459,330 
			 North Tyneside 445,466 
			 North Yorkshire 1,302,625 
			 Northamptonshire 1,584,537 
			 Northumberland 704,945 
			 Nottingham City 670,369 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,676,706 
			 Oldham 616,635 
			 Oxfordshire 1,522,554 
			 Peterborough 516,738 
			 Plymouth 600,584 
			 Poole 296,946 
			 Portsmouth 499,713 
			 Reading 372,658 
			 Redbridge 537,595 
			 Redcap and Cleveland 509,609 
			 Richmond upon Thames 441,101 
			 Rochdale 577,312 
			 Rotherham 577,665 
			 Rutland 138,736 
			 Salford 555,569 
			 Sandwell 665,165 
			 Sefton 610,600 
			 Sheffield 1,188,059 
			 Shropshire 676,628 
			 Slough 324,548 
			 Solihull 562,854 
			 Somerset 1,162,040 
			 South Gloucestershire 636,318 
			 South Tyneside 570,524 
			 Southampton 515,286 
			 Southend 399,405 
			 Southwark 860,074 
			 St. Helens 493,513 
			 Staffordshire 1,967,330 
			 Stockport 624,846 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 467,888 
			 Stoke on Trent 668,842 
			 Suffolk 1,547,758 
			 Sunderland 917,188 
			 Surrey 2,518,131 
			 Sutton 445,871 
			 Swindon 497,421 
			 Tameside 550,028 
			 Telford and the Wrekin 446,962 
			 Thurrock 363,322 
			 Torbay 336,661 
			 Tower Hamlets 752,138 
			 Trafford 507,372 
			 Wakefield 703,744 
			 Walsall 610,569 
			 Waltham Forest 577,321 
			 Wandsworth 615,646 
			 Warrington 554,554 
			 Warwickshire 1,210,685 
			 West Berkshire 398,313 
			 West Sussex 1,689,972 
			 Westminster 406,986 
			 Wigan 684,213 
			 Wiltshire 1,079,461 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 366,393 
			 Wirral 793,175 
			 Wokingham 362,337 
			 Wolverhampton 598,033 
			 Worcestershire 1,325,067 
			 York 349,363

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average level of funding given by each local authority to  (a) private, voluntary and independent nurseries,  (b) maintained childcare settings and  (c) childminders in order to provide 2.5 hours of childcare a day was in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: Funding for nursery education provision is provided to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). Local authorities—in consultation with their School Forums—are responsible for determining the level of funding to early years providers in all sectors delivering the free early education entitlement.
	The Department published local authorities' estimates of the average per pupil amount allocated by local authorities to maintained providers and to private, voluntary and independent sector providers for delivery of the free entitlement early years provision in August 2007. The Free Entitlement to Early Years Provision Table for 2007-08 can be found on the DCSF website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/localauthorities/section52/subPage.cfm?action=section52.default&ID=87

Children: Injuries

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will take steps to establish inter-agency co-operation on a common system for child injury  (a) surveillance and  (b) data capture and storage; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department has worked across Government to co-ordinate the cross-Government Staying Safe Action Plan which was published on 5 February 2008. The report can be downloaded from www.ecm.gov.uk/stayingsafe and a copy is available in the House Library. Delivery of the action plan will be underpinned by the new PSA to improve children and young people's safety, which includes an indicator measuring emergency hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries to children aged up to 18 years. The same indicator is included in the new National Indicator Set for Local Government so data will also be collected at local level. This indicator will help us to assess the extent of accidental injuries to children and young people. In the Staying Safe: Action Plan, we set out new a commitment to carry out a priority review of local area accident prevention, which will make a number of recommendations about how accident prevention work might be improved. I will ensure that both other Government Departments and external stakeholders are involved in this review.

Children: Mental Health

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effects of implementation of section 120 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 on the care and supervision of children who have suffered impairment as a result of witnessing domestic violence.

Kevin Brennan: In private law child proceedings, where parents come to court for an order to determine the child's primary residence or the frequency of contact with a non-resident parent the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) introduced a new process in 2005. This means that when making an application for a child contact/residence order, allegations of domestic violence are expected to be raised at the point of the application. Courts are now required to consider whether any incidents of domestic violence—not just from direct violence but also from witnessing violence—have had an adverse impact on the child, or might affect the child in the future.
	An evaluation of this new system was commissioned by the MOJ. The report, 'Domestic Violence and the Supplemental Information Form C1A: An evaluation of the Introduction of the Form into the Family Courts' was published on 11 December 2007 [MoJ 17/07]. It confirmed that the new arrangements are providing an improved mechanism that enables domestic violence and associated harm to parents and children to be recognised at an early point in proceedings.
	In public law child proceedings where local authorities apply for care or supervision orders, domestic violence concerns are a feature of about 50 per cent. of cases, though there is usually a range of other concerns, such as child abuse and alcohol or substance misuse.

Children: Video Games

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government plans to take to protect children from unsuitable and offensive computer games.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 3 April 2008
	I have been asked to reply
	Children are already protected from unsuitable material in computer games by classification systems. Material which is grossly violent or sexual must be classified by the British Board of Film Classification, and it is an offence to supply it to someone who does not meet the age requirement.
	Additionally, Dr. Tanya Byron as part of her review on harmful internet content and games has made some recommendations on measures that strengthen these arrangements. She proposes lowering the statutory requirement to classify video games to 12+, so that it is the same as film classification and easier for parents to understand; issuing clear and consistent guidance for industry on how games should be advertised and challenging industry to provide sustained and high profile efforts to increase parents' understanding of age ratings and improved parental controls.
	Dr. Byron is clear that before any changes are implemented, there is a need for a consultation exercise on what exactly the changes should be. Government are committed to that public consultation and there will be a chance for everyone to contribute once the consultation is under way.

Citizenship: Curriculum

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of schools were judged by Ofsted to have adequate citizenship teaching in each year from 2003 to 2007.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 2 April 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Between 2002 and 2005 in secondary schools and between 2003 and 2005 in primary schools, inspectors made an overall judgement about the quality of teaching in citizenship. These judgements were made using a seven point scale: excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, poor and very poor. The information is presented in the table attached.
	From September 2005, Ofsted stopped specific subject reporting in Section 5 school inspections. Since then, Ofsted has inspected citizenship in a sample of schools. In the lessons observed that were mainly focused on citizenship objectives, teaching was generally good. Often, however, this was because of the good generic skills of teachers and there were weaknesses in specialist aspects of teaching such as dealing with topical and controversial issues. In some schools, the benefits of specialist training were apparent in the quality of the teaching. In approaching one in five of the schools, teaching was unsatisfactory, with weak subject knowledge evident. Important aspects of teaching citizenship, such as discussion, were limited. Sometimes teachers made links from other subjects to citizenship that were insubstantial and failed to add up to a sensible curriculum overall. In some of the schools where teaching was weaker, this was because it was taught by large non-specialist teams; and in some of these schools a decision had been made to move to greater specialism.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table 1: Quality of teaching of citizenship in primary and secondary schools, percentage of schools 
			Percentage 
			   Total number of inspections  Excellent  Very good  Good  Satisfactory  Unsatisfactory  Poor  Very poor 
			  Primary schools 
			 2004/05 90 1 25 64 9 1 0 0 
			 2003/04 128 3 15 66 16 0 0 0 
			 2002/03 — — — — — — — — 
			  
			  Secondary Schools 
			 2004/05 378 0 6 48 39 6 1 0 
			 2003/04 485 0 6 46 40 8 0 0 
			 2002/03 169 1 7 45 46 1 0 0

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what promotional items bearing the departmental logo have been commissioned by his Department since its establishment.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 20 March 2008
	The Department has commissioned ballpoint pens with its corporate logo printed on the barrel. These were for promotional use, primarily at the Education Show 2008 in Birmingham.
	It has also commissioned 'Post-it Notes', A4 and A5 paper pads, and cotton carry bags with its logo to support the launch of the Parent Know-How initiative. And it has commissioned ballpoint pens, mugs and cotton carry bags with its logo to promote Sure Start Children's Centres.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by Senior Civil Service staff in his Department and its agencies in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: Travel and subsistence (reimbursable expenses) is claimed and authorised online via the Department's Integrated Financial Information System and is recorded under the general heading of subsistence. To extract the financial data requested would involve disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in "Government Accounting". All travel undertaken by DCSF civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code. The Department does not have any Executive Agencies.

Departmental Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of staff in his Department were making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions in each of the last two years.

Kevin Brennan: In February 2007, there were 33 members of staff making additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay, representing 0.9 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by the Department.
	In February 2008, the number of staff making additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay reduced to 22 people, representing 0.8 per cent. of total number of staff employed by the Department.

Education: Devon

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he has allocated to  (a) expand facilities for sixteen to nineteen year old learners and  (b) deliver learning and skills for adults in East Devon to meet his targets in each case.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	The 2008-09 Grant Letter to the Learning and Skills Council sets out a record level of investment for post 16 education and training over the next three years, with some £11.5 billion in 2008-09, raising to over £12 billion in 2009-10, and over £12.5 billion in 2010-11. This investment includes year on year increases in capital funding, and will ensure that we can continue to deliver the significant improvement in participation and attainment across all areas of the country, giving both young people and adults the skills and qualifications they need to succeed.
	Decisions about allocations to specific areas are made by the LSC based on overall learner numbers and strategic discussions with local partners about the range of provision that is needed. The allocations process for 2008/09 is currently under way and Mark Haysom the chief executive of the LSC has written to the hon. Member setting out the funding allocations for East Devon as soon as they have been confirmed and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 9 April 2008:
	I refer to your recent question to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to which I was asked to respond setting out the LSC funding allocations for 16-19 learning and to deliver learning and skills for adults in East Devon.
	Please find below the allocations in respect of school sixth forms in the East Devon District Council area for the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years. The variations in particular allocations are mostly as a result of fluctuating pupil numbers.
	
		
			  LSC funding allocations in East Devon 
			  £ 
			  East Devon schools  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  16 to 18
			 Clyst Vale 888,556.00 770,821.00 785,401.00 
			 Colyton Grammar 937,300.00 1,022,994.00 1,004,424.00 
			 Exmouth 1,739,903.00 1,913,518.00 1,880,666.00 
			 Honiton 704,519.00 778,898.00 619,800.00 
			 Sidmouth 594,712.00 539,415.00 488,950.00 
			 Axe Valley 510,456.00 527,646.00 445,881.00 
			 Kings Ottery 753,629.00 847,786.00 950,955.00 
			 
			 East Devon College 3,055,000.00 3,149,000.00 2,852,170.00 
			 
			 16 to 18 total 9,184,075.00 9,550,078.00 9,028,247.00 
			 
			  19+
			 East Devon College 1,564,000.00 1,497,000.00 (1)— 
			 Train to Gain 190,131.00 325,560.00 (1)— 
			 
			 19+ total 1,754,131.00 1,822,560.00 (2)— 
			 
			 Grand total 10,938,206.00 11,372,638.00 (2)— 
			 (1) No allocation yet. (2) Not yet available. 
		
	
	As you know, there are complex patterns of 16-18 learner participation in the East Devon Area with many students choosing to access courses at Richard Huish College in Taunton, Exeter College or elsewhere. The designated further education institute for the area is East Devon College in Tiverton and LSC funding information is provided for this College. The 2008-09 academic for funding is provisional at the moment but is a guaranteed minimum and, in reality, is unlikely to change. A proposal is being developed currently for North Devon and East Devon Colleges to merge on 1 August 2008.
	The allocations of LSC funding for 19+ learners at East Devon College are also included for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years. The allocation for 2008-09 is not yet finalised and I will write again to notify this during the coming weeks.
	I have also included an indication of Train to Gain LSC investment in the East Devon area. A range of training providers operate in the area and respond to employers' needs for training. The figures I have quoted are notional amounts apportioned to the consortium of Exeter, East Devon and Bicton Colleges.
	Bicton College, a specialist land based FE provider, is based in the East Devon District Council area. As it draws learners from throughout the South West Region and beyond, LSC financial allocations at this College do not relate easily to investment in learning and skills in the immediate vicinity.
	However, I would be pleased to provide details of LSC investment at this College if this would help.
	The LSC also invests significantly in the delivery of apprenticeships training but financial details related to specific home postcodes of apprentices are difficult and expensive to produce. However, if this is required for apprentices who live in East Devon District Council postcode areas, it could be produced.
	I hope this information meets your requirements but please let me know if more is needed. I shall write again later in the year with details of 19+ funding allocations at East Devon College and for Train to Gain.

Extracurricular Activities: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of breakfast clubs in Bexley schools; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage their creation.

Beverley Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Geraldine Smith) on 18 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1072W.
	Providing access to activities before school, including breakfast clubs, is a part of the extended schools core offer. In the London borough of Bexley there are 57 schools providing access to the core offer of extended services, which may be through a cluster of local schools or other providers.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of schools had less than 30 per cent. of pupils obtaining five A* to C GCSEs including English and mathematics in 2007, broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile.

Jim Knight: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  IMD Decile( 1)  Total number of schools( 2)  Number of schools with less than 30% 5+A*-C inc. English and maths  Percentage of schools with less than 30% 5+A*-C inc. English and maths 
			 0-10% most deprived 259 144 55.6 
			 10-20% 309 129 41.7 
			 20-30% 301 99 32.9 
			 30-40% 336 91 27.1 
			 40-50% 351 74 21.1 
			 50-60% 305 52 17.0 
			 60-70% 330 43 13.0 
			 70-80% 297 35 11.8 
			 80-90% 322 32 9.9 
			 90-100% least deprived 304 9 3.0 
			 (1) Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2004. (2 )Including only those maintained mainstream schools with results published in the School and College Achievement and Attainment tables.  Source:  School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 2007

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of  (a) pupils eligible for free school meals and  (b) all eligible pupils did not sit five GCSEs in 2007.

Jim Knight: 32,819 pupils sat fewer than five GCSE or equivalent examinations in 2006/07. This was 5.5 per cent. of all pupils.
	9,603 pupils eligible for free school meals sat fewer than five GCSE or equivalent examinations in 2006/07, This was -12.6 per cent. of pupils eligible for free schools meals.
	The figures relate to pupils in maintained schools at the end of Key Stage 4.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals did not sit five GCSEs in 2007.

Jim Knight: 9,603 pupils eligible for free school meals sat fewer than five GCSE or equivalent examinations in 2006/07. This was 12.6 per cent. of pupils eligible for free schools meals.
	The figures relate to pupils in maintained schools at the end of key stage 4.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children in Enfield North achieved more than eight A to C grades in GCSE examinations in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Jim Knight: The percentage of pupils in Enfield North who achieved more than eight A*-C grades in GCSE examinations in 1996/97 was 15.8 per cent. The figure for 2006/07 was 31.7 per cent.
	The figure for England in 1996/97 was 21.8 per cent. and the 2006/07 figure was 39.3 per cent.
	These figures relate to 15-year-olds (age at the start of the academic, i.e. 31 August) in maintained schools. The 2006/07 figures include a wider range of qualifications (on a basis equivalent to GCSEs).

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Sunderland

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government has taken to increase the number of young people in Sunderland achieving five A* to C grades at GCSE in the last three years.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the performance of Sunderland secondary schools, compared with figures for England since 1997 and in the last three years.
	
		
			   1997  2005  2006  2007 
			   Percentage 5 A*-C  Percentage 5 A*-C incl. English and maths  Percentage 5 A*-C  Percentage 5 A*-C incl. English and maths  Percentage 5 A*-C  Percentage 5 A*-C incl. English and maths  Percentage 5 A*-C  Percentage 5 A*-C incl. English and maths 
			 England 45.1 35.6 56.3 44.3 58.5 45.3 60.8 46 
			 Sunderland 34.4 26.1 51.5 35 55 33.9 59.4 38.5 
		
	
	The general rise in secondary standards nationally and in Sunderland since 1997 may be attributed to improvements in teaching and learning, better school leadership, targeted intervention to tackle school failure, better use of pupil performance data and the ambitious targets that schools and local authorities have set for their pupils. Challenge and support through the National Secondary Strategy has also helped to raise standards in the last three years.
	As part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget for 2008, the Government have now committed a new £200 million package, over the next three years, for a National Challenge to raise standards in secondary schools, with the particular focus on those schools where fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieve five or more good GCSEs including English and mathematics. The National Challenge programme will provide intensive support for the most vulnerable secondary schools, and will empower many head teachers of strong schools to help turn around other schools that are unable to raise low attainment. The programme will help create new trusts and federations based on successful schools; and, in areas of greatest need, drive forward a faster expansion of the academies programme.

Government Offices for the Regions

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which of his Department's programme budgets were administered by the Government Offices of the Regions in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 18 March 2008
	The following grants have been made by this Department, via Local Government Offices, over the last five years.
	 Grants paid via Regional Local Government Offices (2003-04 to 2007-08)
	Connexions grant
	Positive Activities for Young People
	Millennium Volunteers
	Transforming Youth Work Development Fund/ Transforming Youth Work Performance
	Improvement Fund
	Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act (revenue)(1)
	Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act (capital)(1)
	Youth Opportunity Fund
	Youth Capital Fund
	Children's Fund (including Partnership Networking Fund)
	Teenage Pregnancy
	ASPIRE(2)
	Children's Trust Migration Pilots(2)
	Children not in Education, Employment or Training Demonstrator Pilots(2)
	Attainment at 19
	Local Delivery
	Community Champions
	Government Office Network
	Government Office Support
	Young London Matters
	Sustainable Schools
	Quality Protects
	Education Protects
	Children Centres
	(1) Budget funded improvements in Disabled Access to Youth Service premises
	(2) Budgets only allocated to a limited number of Government Office's

Hearing Impaired

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what provision is made for deaf people to access services provided by his Department through call centres.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families operates a telephone enquiry service that offers a textphone/minicom service for deaf people. We also accept enquiries by email, fax and letter. DCSF periodically contracts with suppliers to provide telephone helpline services to the public, usually in support of information campaigns; in such instances our contract stipulates that a textphone service should be provided.

JP Morgan

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors paid to JP Morgan in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of the payment was in each case.

Edward Balls: I can confirm that the Department for Children; Schools and Families and its predecessor the Department for Education and Skills have no record of any payments to a supplier JP Morgan during the last nine years. The Department does not hold data prior to financial year 1999-2000.

Ministers: Correspondence

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2008,  Official Report, column 892W, on Ministers: correspondence, if he will publish the regular e-mails sent to local authorities by his Department in each week since 18 December 2007, including the bespoke e-mails containing an item of significant importance; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Past versions of the weekly departmental email to local authority (LA) directors of children's services and chief executives (the 'LA email') and the 'bespoke' emails (the 'red LA email') can be viewed via the Department's LA website. These are stored in the 'News and Communications' section of the LA website at:
	www.dfes.gov.uk/localauthorities/index.cfm
	Copies of all LA emails and LA red emails sent by the Department between 18 December 2007 and 3 April 2008 have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Annex A outlines ministerial letters included in LA emails over this period for ease of reference. The LA emails generally contain policy briefings and guidance to help local authorities deliver children's services in line with their statutory responsibilities. In response to our recent survey the local authority audience overwhelmingly confirmed their appreciation for this briefing channel.
	 Annex A
	 Ministerial letters included in LA Emails 18 Dec 2007 to 3 April 2008
	 10 January 2008
	Lead Member letter on Care Proceedings Programme: The DGSF, Ministry of Justice and Welsh Assembly Ministers have written jointly to all Lead Members for Children's Services, drawing their attention to ongoing work to reduce delay in care proceedings (brought by LAs under the Children Act 1989).
	 17 January 2008
	Jim Knight letter on school admissions code.
	Announcement of short breaks pathfinder areas: letter from Ministers, Andrew Adonis and Ivan Lewis.
	 31 January 2008
	Rural School Closures: letter from Schools Minister, Jim Knight.
	Review of formula for distributing Dedicated Schools Grant: Jim Knight has launched the review of the formula for distributing the Dedicated Schools Grant from 2011-12 through a statement to Parliament.
	Call for Evidence—Youth Sector Support Arrangements: Minister Beverley Hughes officially launched a "call for evidence" to gather information; advice and views on the current youth sector support arrangements.
	 14 February 2008
	Raising Standards—Improving Outcomes: joint ministerial letter highlights the importance of local authorities, Jobcentre Plus, Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities developing ever stronger and more effective local partnerships, to meet the individual needs of young children and their parents.
	 21 February 2008
	Ministerial letter regarding biennial overview reports Serious Case Reviews: Kevin Brennan MP has written to all Directors of Children's Services in England and to Chairs of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) to emphasise the importance of acting on the findings of two research reports published on 31 January 2008.
	 28 February 2008
	Improving School Attendance—letter from Kevin Brennan.
	 10 March 2008 ( r ed LA  e mail)
	Compliance with the statutory school admissions framework; The letter from Jim Knight outlines issues that have arisen due to non-compliance with the statutory schools admissions framework.
	 20 March 2008
	14-19 Diploma Gateway 2—Jim Knight, Minister for Schools and Learners, announced the outcome of the Diploma Gateway 2 on 19 March.
	 3 April 2008
	Myplace—major new investment in places for young people to go: the letter from Beverley Hughes announces the launch of myplace.
	Funding of entry training for educational psychologists. This letter from Lord Adonis to DCSs and chief executives.
	Day One Provision for excluded pupils: letter from Kevin Brennan.
	Expansion of positive activities for young people: Beverley Hughes, Minister for Children, Young People and Families is writing to Directors of Children's Services regarding how local authorities (LAs) can work towards meeting some of their key objectives by implementing the commitment in Aiming High for Young People, to expand the provision of targeted youth activity programmes.

National Foundation for Educational Research: Publications

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps  (a) Ofsted and  (b) the Training and Development Agency for Schools have taken in response to the recommendations of the National Foundation for Educational Research report Vision versus pragmatism.

Jim Knight: These are matters for Ofsted and the Training and Development Agency for Schools. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library. A response from the Training and Development Agency for Schools will be sent to the hon. Member and placed in the Library in due course.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 31 March 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	You asked what steps Ofsted has taken in response to the recommendations of the National Foundation for Educational Research report 'Vision versus pragmatism'. The question has also been passed to the Training and Development Agency for Schools so that they may reply separately.
	The NFER report 'Vision versus pragmatism' is the fifth annual report in a longitudinal research study. In summary, it recommends that Ofsted:
	take a broader view of citizenship to include whole-school and the wider community
	ensure that schools are fully aware of the guidance on citizenship in section 5 inspections and ensure that statutory requirements are met
	draw more attention to the place of citizenship in school self-evaluation and Joint Area Reviews
	continue to consult with children and young people to strengthen the student voice
	give more focus to issues of continuity and progression in citizenship.
	Ofsted already takes a broad view of citizenship. Inspectors evaluate the quality of personal development and well-being which includes school, local, and global dimensions. Additionally, schools now have a statutory duty to promote community cohesion, which came into effect on 1 September 2007. From 1 September 2008, Ofsted has a duty, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, to report on the contribution made by schools to community cohesion. We are currently trialling our proposed approach to inspecting this aspect.
	When evaluating how well learners contribute to the community, inspectors are specifically asked to consider the development of learners' understanding of citizenship ('Using the evaluation schedule: Guidance for inspectors of schools', September 2007). The self-evaluation form requires schools to assess their compliance with statutory requirements. During inspection, aspects of citizenship are evaluated when inspectors judge the quality of the curriculum. Any non-compliance with statutory requirements is brought to the school's attention, and may be a key issue for improvement.
	Discussion with children and young people is an integral part of all inspections and their views are fully taken into account. The annual TellUs3 survey in 2008 asks children and young people for their views on their satisfaction with local services. It specifically asks them about outcomes relating to Every Child Matters, one aspect of which is their contribution to the community. The results of the survey are considered by inspectors undertaking Annual Performance Assessments and Joint Area Reviews. In 2007 over 100,000 children and young people responded to the TellUs2 survey. The Joint Annual Review programme comes to an end in 2008 and will be replaced by the Comprehensive Areas Assessment process from 2009.
	Ofsted's subject survey programme provides for the inspection of citizenship in a sample of schools and inspectors seek evidence of standards and progress. This year the survey includes a small sample of primary schools to provide evidence of the extent to which schools are following the non-statutory guidance and the resulting standards.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Children, Schools and Families and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Nurseries: Closures

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many nurseries closed in England in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The available information on the number of nurseries opening and closing is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Full day care providers( 1) 
			   Closed  Open 
			 2003/04 1,100 2,500 
			 2004/05 1,800 2,800 
			 2005/06 1,300 2,300 
			 2006/07 1,500 2,200 
			 April 2007- December 2007 1,300 1,600 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100.  Source:  Ofsted 
		
	
	Ofsted data on closures include registered places in settings which are transferring ownership, and in settings which move from one Ofsted category to another, not just in those which are ceasing trading. For example, if a full day care provider moved to offering sessional provision, this would be recorded as a 'closed' full day care setting and an 'opened' sessional day care setting. The Ofsted data therefore exaggerates the true extent of turnover.
	Ofsted have produced figures on the numbers of registered child care providers and places on a quarterly basis from March 2003. Their latest figures were published in their report "Registered Childcare Providers and Places, December 2007", which is available on their website,
	www.Ofsted.gov.uk/

Physical Education

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 109-10W, on physical education: standards, if he will provide a breakdown of the average time spent by school children on sport by school year group;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of children in each school year group participated in at least two hours of high quality physical education during  (a) curriculum time and  (b) curriculum time plus out of hours school sports in (i) mixed schools, (ii) all-boys schools and (iii) all-girls schools in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools did not provide at least two hours of high quality physical education during curriculum time in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The annual PE and School Sport Survey asks questions about pupil participation in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport and the total number of minutes spent by all pupils on curriculum PE each week. Data is not collected on time spent participating in sport. The 2006/07 survey found:
	
		
			  Total number of pupils per year group 
			   Mixed  All boys  All girls 
			 Year 1 530,562 69 109 
			 Year 2 540,746 96 115 
			 Year 3 555,170 207 208 
			 Year 4 561,356 247 264 
			 Year 5 575,384 332 299 
			 Year 6 565,081 363 298 
			 Year 7 508,770 24,656 35,327 
			 Year 8 519,929 25,570 36,156 
			 Year 9 521,648 25,947 36,460 
			 Year 10 539,966 26,362 36,692 
			 Year 11 533,571 26,143 36,287 
			 Total 5,952,183 129,992 182,215 
		
	
	
		
			   Mixed  All boys  All girls 
			 Year 1 462,896 24 50 
			 Year 2 480,341 47 57 
			 Year 3 507,140 135 121 
			 Year 4 518,596 178 171 
			 Year 5 537,098 260 200 
			 Year 6 529,290 285 195 
			 Year 7 471,582 23,526 29,624 
			 Year 8 474,525 23,923 28,222 
			 Year 9 452,472 23,394 26,002 
			 Year 10 366,704 20,513 18,691 
			 Year 11 336,515 19,963 16,169 
			 Total 5,137,159 112,248 119,502 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Mixed  All boys  All girls 
			 Year 1 87 35 46 
			 Year 2 89 49 50 
			 Year 3 91 65 58 
			 Year 4 92 72 65 
			 Year 5 93 78 67 
			 Year 6 94 79 65 
			 Year 7 93 95 84 
			 Year 8 91 94 78 
			 Year 9 87 90 71 
			 Year 10 68 78 51 
			 Year 11 63 76 45 
			 Total 86 86 66 
		
	
	Further analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Data relating to the 2006/07 PE and School Sport Survey found that 31.6 per cent. of primary (5,445) and 65.4 per cent. of secondary (2,174) schools do not provide at least two hours of curriculum time PE each week, for all pupils.

Primary Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary schools were found by Ofsted to be providing inaccurate Key Stage 1 results in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) rather than Ofsted has responsibility for matters relating to the accuracy of Key Stage 1 (KS1) results. The QCA assures the accuracy of these results through a national moderation process, which is conducted by the National Assessment Agency (NAA). local authorities (LAs) have a statutory responsibility to moderate teacher assessment judgments to ensure the accuracy and consistency of those judgments, which are informed by nationally benchmarked tests. The NAA monitors the moderation activity of LAs annually. Its audit of LA moderation has not found evidence of inaccurate KS1 results.

Primary Education: Class Sizes

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children at key stage one in Nottingham were taught in classes of 31 or more in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Jim Knight: The information can be found in the following table, due to Local Government reorganisation, figures prior to 1999 for 'City of Nottingham' local authority are not available.
	These figures can be found in SFR 'Schools and Pupils in England: January 2007 (Final)', which is available on the Department's website here:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml
	
		
			   Number of KS1 pupils taught in classes of 31 or more  Percentage of pupils taught in classes of 31 or more 
			 1999 678 8.3 
			 2007 190 3.0

Pupils: Absenteeism

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils took authorised absence in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Kevin Brennan: The available information for the academic year 1996/97 is shown in the table.
	The latest available information for 2007 covers autumn term 2006 and spring term 2007 and is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools, and city technology colleges( 1) : authorised absence by type of school, 1996/97, England 
			   Number of day pupils of compulsory school age  Authorised absence Percentage of half days missed( 2) 
			 Maintained primary schools 3,770,800 5.60 
			 Maintained secondary schools 2,790,040 8.10 
			 City technology colleges 12,308 6.10 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) The number of sessions missed due to authorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Absence Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies( 1) : authorised absence by type of school, autumn term 2006 and spring term 2007, England 
			   Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 2)  Number of pupil enrolments( 3, 4)  Authorised absence Percentage of half days missed( 5) : 
			 Maintained primary schools 3,306,940 3,428,390 4.73 
			 Secondary schools(6) 2,954,940 3,016,240 6.30 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Pupil numbers are as at January 2007. Includes pupils aged five to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders. (3 )Number of pupil enrolments in schools between 1 September 2006 and 9 April 2007. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered in more than one school). (4 )There were some 32,498 cases from primary schools 17,238 cases from maintained secondary schools, CTCS and academies for whom absence data were missing. These cases have been excluded from the total number of pupil enrolments. (5 )The number of sessions missed due to authorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (6 )Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Census

Pupils: English Language

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of  (a) secondary schools and  (b) sixth form colleges are running the International English Language Testing System; what the estimated costs are of running the International English Language Testing System; and what financial support local authorities provide to schools and sixth form colleges running the International English Language Testing System.

Jim Knight: No secondary schools or sixth form colleges ran the International English language Testing System (IELTS) last year. Information for 2007-08 is not yet available.
	Up until 2007-08, IELTS was funded as an exception to all other International English language qualifications. However, from September 2007 the newly accredited IELTS qualification, now called Cambridge ESOL certificate in English, is not eligible for LSC funding.

Pupils: English Language

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Basingstoke, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England have (A) at least one specialist teaching assistant for pupils with English as an additional language, (B) at least one lead teacher for ethnic minority pupils, (C) at least one specialist teaching assistant for pupils with English as an additional language and one lead teacher for ethnic minority pupils and (D) more than one specialist teaching assistant for pupils with English as an additional language and a lead teacher for ethnic minority pupils.

Jim Knight: Information for the number of specialist teaching assistant for additional language is not collected centrally,
	The following table shows the number of schools in Basingstoke constituency, Hampshire local authority and England that have at least one teacher recorded for ethnic minority pupils, in January 2007.
	
		
			  N umber of local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Basingstoke constituency, Hampshire local authority and England which have at least one teacher recorded for ethnic mi notify pupils, January 2007 
			   Basingstoke  Hampshire  England 
			  Primary
			 Number of schools 1 5 1,218 
			 Percentage of total 2.5 1.2 7,0 
			 
			  Secondary
			 Number of schools — 3 399 
			 Percentage of total — 42 11.9 
			  Source:  School Census

Pupils: English Language

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what support from local authorities is available to schools to provide resources to teach children who have English as an additional language; what assessment has been made of the adequacy of this support; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The number of pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL) rose from 500,000 to 790,000 between 1997 and 2007. Putting this in perspective, such children now comprise 12 per cent. of all pupils as against 7.5 per cent. in 1997 and 9 per cent. in 2001. Funding for EAL children has fully kept pace with these increasing numbers through:
	an element within the dedicated schools grant (DSG) for primary schools which was some £256 million in 2004-05, rising to £299 million in 2007-08, with a further rise to over £330 million in 2010-11—an 11 per cent. real terms increase on the 2004-05 level;
	a substantial provision for EAL through the ring fenced ethnic minority achievement grant (EMAG), which has risen from £162 million in 2004-05 to £179 million in 2007-08 and will rise to £206 million by 2010-11—a 9 per cent. increase on the 2004-05 level;
	in addition an exceptional circumstances grant (ECG) has been introduced to reflect changes in local authorities' pupil numbers which occur after the three year indicative allocations of DSG have been announced.
	These increases form part of the substantial overall increase in school funding: over the past 10 years since 1997, overall per pupil revenue funding for schools has increased by 67 per cent. in real terms, We expect local authorities to be able to manage new pressures from within these increases, and to ensure that the resources reach the individual schools affected by new arrivals and EAL speakers.
	The Government's policy is to encourage rapid English language acquisition as the key to successful integration into the UK education system and the wider community.
	Newly arrived pupils are given additional help in learning English by specialist advisers and teachers of English as an additional language (EAL) and bilingual classroom assistants, who work in collaboration with classroom teachers to plan lessons and teaching materials. The evidence indicates that EAL pupils typically catch up with their peers in attainment terms within two years of first admission to a school a England.
	The Government have recently launched a new arrivals excellence programme intended to provide practical support for local authorities, schools and individual teachers. This programme is backed by other practical support including measures to improve the supply, training and qualifications of EAL specialist staff, and to deliver new web-based teaching and learning materials.

Pupils: Languages

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the 10 most common first languages spoken among pupils who have English as an additional language are in  (a) primary schools,  (b) secondary schools and  (c) sixth form colleges in (i) Basingstoke, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England.

Jim Knight: Where a pupil's first language is not English, schools may record the specific languages. Provision of this level of information is not compulsory. In January 2007, specific language data were provided for just over half the pupils in maintained primary and secondary schools. The Department does not hold complete data for the specific language categories.
	The requested information is not collected from sixth-form colleges.

Pupils: Railways

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy to liaise with the Secretary of State for Transport and others to create a scheme whereby groups of schoolchildren may use the rail network at reduced rates in peak periods in order to travel to London to undertake activities with the Parliamentary Education Service.

Jim Knight: Learning outside the classroom is a key part of the new secondary curriculum. We are encouraging schools to plan their curriculum to meet the needs of all their pupils, including engaging and relevant learning to bring the curriculum to life.
	It is schools which are best placed to decide which specific learning experiences outside of the classroom meet the curriculum and personal development needs of their pupils. That is why the Department for Children, Schools and Families launched the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto in November 2006, asking organisations who offer these experiences to pledge their support to schools wanting to provide these experiences. Nearly 1,000 organisations have signed up to support the Manifesto vision so far.
	Train operators already offer discounted travel for children under the age of 16 and group travel discounts, which are very popular with school parties and available to passengers of all ages.

School Leaving

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of raising the education and training leaving age in each of the first 10 years of its implementation.

Jim Knight: The Department has not estimated the costs of raising the participation age (RPA) to 18 in precisely the form requested.
	However as part of the impact assessment (IA) which was published alongside the Education and Skills Bill on 29 November 2007, the costs 'per cohort of young people' were set out alongside the benefits. The costs were estimated to be around £800 million per cohort once a steady-state had been reached (in 2016-17), while the economic benefits were estimated to be around £2,400 million on the same basis.
	The IA can be accessed at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/educationandskills/
	and I have placed a copy in the Library of the House.

Schools: Admissions

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in each London borough did not have a school placement at the start of the 2007-08 academic year, broken down by age.

Jim Knight: This is the first year that local authorities have been required to provide data to the Secretary of State on secondary school offers. Data on offers made to parents on national offer day for the 2008-09 academic year was published on the DCSF research gateway (www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway) on 11 March at local authority, regional and national levels. The Department does not require local authorities to provide the secondary school offers data by age or collect data relating to primary school offers.

Schools: Carbon Monoxide

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools had audible carbon monoxide alarms fitted in each year since 1997;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library all guidance issued by his Department to schools on the use of carbon monoxide alarms.

Jim Knight: We do not know how many schools have been fitted with carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors are not required under any statutory regulation but a number of local authorities have installed CO detectors in some or all of their schools following risk assessments. They have been installed in locations such as boiler rooms, kitchens and other areas containing gas fired appliances. They have been installed in primary and secondary schools and in both new and existing schools.
	DCSF, HSE, HPA and CORGI encourage the use of carbon monoxide detectors as part of a strategy for safe combustion in schools. However, regular maintenance, testing and inspection of gas and fossil fuel fired appliances are of paramount importance. The principles of gas safety, enforced by the gas safely regulations, rely on thorough testing at initial commissioning and regular maintenance by certified engineers thereafter. It is good practice to inspect and test all gas, oil and solid fuel fired appliances every year. As far as we know no official guidance has been issued to schools on the use of carbon monoxide alarms in schools.

Schools: Closures

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools closed in (i) Cambridgeshire, (ii) Cumbria, (iii) Devon and Cornwall, (iv) Durham, (v) Dyfed-Powys, (vi) Gloucestershire, (vii) Lincolnshire, (viii) Norfolk, (ix) North Yorkshire, (x) West Mercia and (xi) Wiltshire in each of the last nine years.

Jim Knight: The following tables set out the numbers of primary and secondary maintained mainstream schools which have closed in Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall, Durham, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, West Mercia and Wiltshire. The tables include cases where decisions were taken under the local decision making arrangements which were introduced in September 1999. Information held on proposals that were decided under the arrangements that operated prior to September 1999 is not reliable and has therefore been excluded. The National Assembly for Wales is responsible for schools in Dyfed and Powys.
	The tables include the reasons for closure. The numbers shown in the column headed 'Cease to Maintain' indicate closures where the schools have not been replaced by new schools. In all other cases a replacement school will have been established (sometimes on the site of a closing school), or an amalgamating school altered, to accommodate displaced pupils.
	
		
			  (i) Cambridgeshire 
			   Due to amalgamation  For fresh start  Total 
			 2000 Primary 2 — 2 
			 2001 Primary 2 — 2 
			 2002 Primary 4 — 4 
			 2003 Primary 4 — 4 
			 2004 Primary 2 — 2 
			 2006 Primary 3 — 3 
			 2006 Secondary 2 — 2 
			 2007 Primary 4 — 4 
			 2007 Secondary — 1 1 
			 Total 23 1 24 
		
	
	
		
			  (ii) Cumbria 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  Total 
			 2000 Primary — 2 2 
			 2001 Primary — 4 4 
			 2002 Primary — 8 8 
			 2003 Primary — 2 2 
			 2004 Primary 2 2 4 
			 2005 Primary 1 5 6 
			 2006 Primary 2  2 
			 Total 5 23 28 
		
	
	
		
			  (iii) Devon and Cornwall 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  Total 
			 2002 Primary — 3 3 
			 2003 Primary — 4 4 
			 2004 Primary 1 2 3 
			 2005 Primary — 12 12 
			 2006 Primary — 2 2 
			 2007 Primary 2 2 4 
			 Total 3 25 28 
		
	
	
		
			  (iv) Durham 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  Total 
			 2002 Primary — 4 4 
			 2003 Primary — 2 2 
			 2004 Primary 2 — 2 
			 2006 Primary — 10 10 
			 2007 Primary — 6 6 
			 Total 2 22 24 
		
	
	
		
			  (vi) Gloucestershire 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  Change religious character  Total 
			 2000 Primary — 2 — 2 
			 2001 Primary — 4 — 4 
			 2005 Primary — 4 — 4 
			 2006 Secondary — — 1 1 
			 2007 Primary 1 — — 1 
			 2007 Secondary — — 1 1 
			 Total 1 10 2 13 
		
	
	
		
			  (vii) Lincolnshire 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  Change religious character  For fresh start  Total 
			 2001 Primary — — 1 — 1 
			 2004 Primary 1 — — — 1 
			 2004 Secondary — — — 1 1 
			 2005 Primary 1 1 — — 2 
			 2006 Primary 1 1 — — 2 
			 2007 Primary 1 2 — — 3 
			 Total 4 4 1 1 10 
		
	
	
		
			  (viii) Norfolk 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  Total 
			 2001 Primary — 2 2 
			 2003 Primary — 2 2 
			 2006 Primary 1 — 1 
			 2007 Primary — 30 30 
			 Total 1 34 35 
		
	
	
		
			  (ix) North Yorkshire 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  Total 
			 2006 Primary 1 2 3 
			 2007 Primary 2 — 2 
			 Total 3 2 5 
		
	
	
		
			  (x) West Mercia (Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire and Worcestershire) 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  For fresh start  To allow for a new establishment  Change religious character  For an academy  Total 
			 2002 Primary 2 — — — — — 2 
			 2003 Primary 1 — — — — — 1 
			 2004 Primary — 4 1 — — — 5 
			 2004 Secondary 1 — — — — — 1 
			 2005 Primary 1 8 — — — — 9 
			 2006 Primary — 13 — — — — 13 
			 2006 Secondary — — — 1 — — 1 
			 2007 Primary 1 33 — — 1 — 35 
			 2007 Secondary — 14 — — 2 1 17 
			 Total 6 72 1 1 3 1 84 
		
	
	
		
			  (xi) Wiltshire 
			   Cease to maintain  Due to amalgamation  Change religious character  Total 
			 2002 Primary — 1 — 1 
			 2002 Secondary — — 1 1 
			 2003 Primary — 3 — 3 
			 2004 Primary 2 — — 2 
			 2004 Secondary 1 1 — 2 
			 2005 Primary 2 4 — 6 
			 2005 Secondary 3 — — 3 
			 2006 Primary 1 8 — 9 
			 2007 Primary 2 5 — 7 
			 Total 11 22 1 34

Schools: Cooperation

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of whether there are financial benefits to schools of joining consortia; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Although funding arrangements do not provide financial incentives to join consortia we believe that working in partnership offers schools the opportunity to deliver high quality educational provision for best value. Indeed working with other schools is fundamental to delivery of key policies such as extended services and personalisation.
	In autumn 2007 the Department commissioned a study to assess the activities through which schools can operate more efficiently. Collaborative working, through arrangements such as federation or consortia, was identified as one mechanism in which schools may deliver improvements in value for money.
	The merged governing body of a federation is able to make budget and staffing decisions jointly on behalf of all its schools. Working in a federation may allow schools to realise financial savings and to provide better value for money. This could be achieved by employing shared staff, acquiring joint facilities and equipment, or by rationalising duplicated functions.

Schools: Data Protection

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many data records have been lost or stolen from school premises in the latest period for which records are available.

Jim Knight: The Department does not keep records of data losses in schools. Becta, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, provides advice to schools on data security.

Schools: Drugs

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 583W, on drugs: schools, what information his Department holds on drugs in schools in  (a) the North East,  (b) the Tees Valley district and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Kevin Brennan: The Department does not collect centrally information on drugs or drug incidents in schools.
	The Department's guidance, "Drugs: Guidance for Schools (DfES 2004)" makes clear that the possession, use or supply of illegal and other unauthorised drugs within school boundaries is unacceptable. All schools should have agreed responses and procedures for managing drug incidents, which are understood by all and documented within the school's drug policy.

Schools: Finance

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average pupil premium is for a child with  (a) special educational needs and  (b) English as an additional language requirement; and what the (i) highest and (ii) lowest premium is.

Kevin Brennan: The available information for  (a) is as follows:
	
		
			  Returns from local authorities in England on their intended net expenditure on the provision of education for children with special educational needs for 2007-08 
			  Local authority name  Budgeted net expenditure on the education of children with special educational needs (£) 
			 England 4,868,571,000 
			 Barking and Dagenham 20,173,000 
			 Barnet 42,190,000 
			 Barnsley 17,231,000 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 10,936,000 
			 Bedfordshire 32,013,000 
			 Bexley 26,174,000 
			 Birmingham 167,503,000 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 23,552,000 
			 Blackpool 15,020,000 
			 Bolton 22,747,000 
			 Bournemouth 14,964,000 
			 Bracknell Forest 11,317,000 
			 Bradford 53,123,000 
			 Brent 31,250,000 
			 Brighton and Hove 25,187,000 
			 Bromley 31,631,000 
			 Buckinghamshire 62,612,000 
			 Bury 17,891,000 
			 Calderdale 20,634,000 
			 Cambridgeshire 48,756,000 
			 Camden 24,670,000 
			 Cheshire 69,129,000 
			 City of Bristol 37,908,000 
			 City of Kingston-Upon-Hull 25,965,000 
			 City of London 331,000 
			 Cornwall 40,106,000 
			 Coventry 37,654,000 
			 Croydon 38,185,000 
			 Cumbria 35,418,000 
			 Darlington 8,514,000 
			 Derby 28,907,000 
			 Derbyshire 80,430,000 
			 Devon 62,251,000 
			 Doncaster 19,958,000 
			 Dorset 35,838,000 
			 Dudley 24,873,000 
			 Durham 38,686,000 
			 Ealing 33,204,000 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 25,036,000 
			 East Sussex 49,826,000 
			 Enfield 31,522,000 
			 Essex 103,046,000 
			 Gateshead 19,278,000 
			 Gloucestershire 44,614,000 
			 Greenwich 28,511,000 
			 Hackney 27,953,000 
			 Halton 12,178,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 15,145,000 
			 Hampshire 91,351,000 
			 Haringey 29,957,000 
			 Harrow 26,638,000 
			 Hartlepool 10,146,000 
			 Havering 15,787,000 
			 Herefordshire 16,205,000 
			 Hertfordshire 87,928,000 
			 Hillingdon 26,436,000 
			 Hounslow 27,465,000 
			 Isle of Wight 11,087,000 
			 Isles of Scilly 129,000 
			 Islington 22,011,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 9,678,000 
			 Kent 143,573,000 
			 Kingston upon Thames 15,771,000 
			 Kirklees 27,406,000 
			 Knowsley 16,088,000 
			 Lambeth 33,078,000 
			 Lancashire 128,721,000 
			 Leeds 57,528,000 
			 Leicester 36,411,000 
			 Leicestershire 52,800,000 
			 Lewisham 33,527,000 
			 Lincolnshire 56,252,000 
			 Liverpool 34,413,000 
			 Luton 23,164,000 
			 Manchester 58,501,000 
			 Medway 28,617,000 
			 Merton 21,320,000 
			 Middlesbrough 17,010,000 
			 Milton Keynes 28,150,000 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 23,387,000 
			 Newham 42,125,000 
			 Norfolk 60,953,000 
			 North East Lincolnshire 17,845,000 
			 North Lincolnshire 13,384,000 
			 North Somerset 16,615,000 
			 North Tyneside 19,233,000 
			 North Yorkshire 54,554,000 
			 Northamptonshire 50,889,000 
			 Northumberland 27,250,000 
			 Nottingham City 23,055,000 
			 Nottinghamshire 37,506,000 
			 Oldham 20,261,000 
			 Oxfordshire 47,755,000 
			 Peterborough 24,838,000 
			 Plymouth 26,421,000 
			 Poole 11,294,000 
			 Portsmouth 15,414,000 
			 Reading 14,805,000 
			 Redbridge 26,216,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 13,562,000 
			 Richmond upon Thames 15,440,000 
			 Rochdale 19,294,000 
			 Rotherham 24,248,000 
			 Rutland 2,961,000 
			 Salford 24,178,000 
			 Sandwell 35,879,000 
			 Sefton 20,786,000 
			 Sheffield 42,662,000 
			 Shropshire 18,395,000 
			 Slough 16,633,000 
			 Solihull 19,522,000 
			 Somerset 40,845,000 
			 South Gloucestershire 21,567,000 
			 South Tyneside 25,234,000 
			 Southampton 16,214,000 
			 Southend 21,469,000 
			 Southwark 32,171,000 
			 St. Helens 13,775,000 
			 Staffordshire 59,045,000 
			 Stockport 20,941,000 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 20,657,000 
			 Stoke on Trent 23,432,000 
			 Suffolk 57,750,000 
			 Sunderland 22,448,000 
			 Surrey 110,753,000 
			 Sutton 25,118,000 
			 Swindon 18,705,000 
			 Tameside 17,793,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 15,493,000 
			 Thurrock 13,926,000 
			 Torbay 9,803,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 41,374,000 
			 Trafford 19,640,000 
			 Wakefield 26,151,000 
			 Walsall 31,562,000 
			 Waltham Forest 29,857,000 
			 Wandsworth 33,551,000 
			 Warrington 16,477,000 
			 Warwickshire 50,882,000 
			 West Berkshire 15,740,000 
			 West Sussex 82,191,000 
			 Westminster 23,203,000 
			 Wigan 26,272,000 
			 Wiltshire 32,696,000 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 13,389,000 
			 Wirral 32,642,000 
			 Wokingham 12,113,000 
			 Wolverhampton 24,712,000 
			 Worcestershire 46,703,000 
			 York 13,729,000 
		
	
	The Department does not have a record or calculate the differences on a per pupil basis. It is a matter for each local authority to determine how it distributes funding to schools.
	With regard to part  (b), local authorities do not provide us with returns on the amounts they are intending to spend on teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what factors he took into consideration in determining the recently revised optimum size for a school governing body.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State has not determined an optimum size for a school governing body. At present, governing bodies can vary between nine and 20 members (not including sponsor governors).
	We believe that smaller, more highly skilled governing bodies, alongside improved governor training will provide more effective governance for schools, As we indicated in the Children's Plan, we will be consulting stakeholders on reducing the size of governing bodies. Good governance and leadership is essential if we are to achieve better outcomes for all children and young people.

Schools: Heating

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will provide guidance to local education authorities on incorporating biomass-based heating and cooling in new build schools.

Jim Knight: Guidance on incorporating biomass-heating and other renewable and low carbon technologies in new schools is provided on our website. Biomass heating has been installed in many schools but biomass cooling has not been used. Schools have little demand for cooling, and where there is a need for cooling this can be achieved effectively using other low carbon energy sources. The potential to use biomass for cooling in schools is likely to be limited to large scale community energy schemes serving mixed-use developments that include school buildings.

Schools: Sales

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school sites were sold  (a) wholly and  (b) partly in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not hold this information. Although local authorities and maintained schools in England need consent before they can dispose of a school playing field or any part of a school playing field, they do not require approval to sell buildings, or the marginal non-playing field land surrounding those buildings. Such decisions are made locally.
	My colleague Kevin Brennan provided a written statement to the House on 2 April 2008 explaining the measures that the Government have introduced to protect school playing field land.

Schools: Sports

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding school sport received from  (a) the national lottery and  (b) the public purse in each year since 1997; and how much it is projected to receive in each year of the comprehensive spending review period to 2010-11.

Kevin Brennan: A breakdown of my Department's and Big Lottery investment in England into PE and School Sport from 1996-07 to 2010-11 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Financial year  Lottery  DCSF funding 
			 1996-97 — 0 
			 1997-98 — 1.9 
			 1998-99 — 3.6 
			 1999-2000 — 4.8 
			 2000-01 — 9.5 
			 2001-02 10.6 14.6 
			 2002-03 78.5 23.5 
			 2003-04 139.6 78 
			 2004-05 327.5 116 
			 2005-06 75.1 155 
			 2006-07 30.6 208.5 
			 2007-08 (1)21.5 221.8 
			 2008-09 — 234.8 
			 2009-10 — 241.3 
			 2010-11 — 246.3 
			 Total 683.4 1,559.6 
			 (1) To date 
		
	
	Lottery distributing bodies decide the nature and duration of lottery grant-making programmes, and make grants, independently of the Government and subject to their own criteria. No figures are therefore available for projected lottery funding.

Schools: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which schools have been in Ofsted categories in each year since 1997; and for how long they were in such categories;
	(2)  which schools have been in Ofsted categories for more than one year in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 1 April 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary questions have been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Since 1 September 2005, there have been two categories of schools causing concern. These are:
	'Schools subject to special measures'—those that, when inspected, were failing to give their pupils an acceptable standard of education and did not show the capacity to improve.
	'Schools requiring significant improvement'—those that, when inspected, were performing significantly less well than they might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform. These schools are issued a 'Notice to Improve' and judged inadequate but, unlike special measures schools, demonstrate the capacity to improve.
	Prior to the launch of the new school inspection framework in September 2005, the categories included 'serious weaknesses', 'underachieving schools' and 'inadequate sixth form'. These categories no longer exist.
	The names of all schools that have been in categories of concern since 2003, broken down by local authority, are published each term on the Ofsted website at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk. They can be found in the 'Publications and Research' section, under 'Statistics'. The direct link is:
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/portal/site/Internet/menuitem.8e8ba064adeba4d8c3172a8a08c08a0c/?vgnextoid=93bc764e0f32b010VgnVCM100000960f430aRCRD
	Beyond this, the data is not available in the form in which you requested it, and the information from 1997 to 2003 has not been published. This information, presented in the requested manner, is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, that is something in the order of 50 hours work.
	I am sorry not to be more helpful. If you could re-focus your request so that we could, as a consequence, reduce the work entailed in responding, we would do all possible to accommodate you.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Children, Schools and Families and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Schools: Swimming

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of schools in each local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber offered swimming lessons to pupils in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Swimming activities and water safety is a compulsory element of the national curriculum for physical education in primary schools. Swimming lessons should be provided for all pupils as part of this. Schools can choose swimming activities and water safety as a programme of study in secondary schools.
	As part of the PE and Sport Strategy, £5.5 million has been invested over 2006-08 to support pupils to reach the Key Stage 2 requirements for swimming, including being able to swim at least 25 metres. Over 100,000 pupils will have benefited from this programme by July 2008. £8.25 million has been allocated to continue to support this programme over 2008-11.
	The annual PE and School Sport Survey was introduced in 2003/04 and provides information on the proportion of schools in School Sport Partnerships offering swimming. Of the schools that provided data, the percentage that offered swimming during the academic year, broken down by local authority is as follows:
	
		
			   2005/06  2006/07 
			   Number of schools providing data  Percentage of which offer swimming  Number of schools providing data  Percentage of which offer swimming 
			 Barnsley 82 85 98 85 
			 Bradford 197 89 197 94 
			 Calderdale 86 80 102 84 
			 Doncaster 87 90 126 83 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 77 88 151 87 
			 Kingston upon Hull 93 85 91 88 
			 Kirklees 167 75 190 78 
			 Leeds 214 89 268 89 
			 North East Lincolnshire 60 73 73 77 
			 North Lincolnshire 43 77 81 83 
			 North Yorkshire 294 90 380 92 
			 Rotherham 123 75 122 77 
			 Sheffield 177 80 172 81 
			 Wakefield 148 82 148 82 
			 York 66 80 69 80 
			 Total—Yorkshire and Humber 1,914 84 2,268 86 
		
	
	Direct comparisons between local authority areas are not appropriate as the number of schools in a School Sport Partnership, and the length of time they have been within a partnership, differ.
	From September 2006, all maintained schools in England have been part of a School Sport Partnership.
	Further analysis in years prior to 2005/06 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Swimming

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point constituency offer swimming lessons.

Kevin Brennan: The annual PE and School Sport Survey collects data relating to participation in PE and school sport from schools. The 2006/07 survey found that 463 of the 567 schools in Essex stated that they offered swimming during the academic year. In the Castle Point constituency, 26 of the 34 schools stated they offered swimming lessons.

Specialised Diplomas

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of bids for 14 to 19 Diplomas in 2009 under the Gateway 2 process have been turned down.

Jim Knight: I announced the results of the Gateway 2 process on 17 March. This year's applications were stronger as a result of the considerable development work carried out by the consortia themselves over the last year. This resulted in a higher number of successful applications: 58 per cent. lines of learning were approved for delivery from 2009; 25 per cent. for delivery from 2010; and 17 per cent. were asked to reapply.

Teachers: Qualifications

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take towards the introduction of the masters in teaching and learning qualification; what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing the qualification; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Plans for the introduction of a masters in teaching and learning for teachers were set out in 'Being the Best for our Children: Releasing Talent for Teaching and Learning' on 7 March. Our aim is that over time the qualification should be open to all teachers and our expectation is that every teacher would want to complete it at some stage in their career. We propose to begin by targeting the masters mainly on teachers in the first five years of their careers, building on initial teacher training and induction. The Training and Development Agency for Schools has been asked to start developing the programme. Initially £30 million has been set aside for the programme in the current spending review period.

Teachers: Vetting

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to review the rules on the transferability of Criminal Records Bureau checks on teachers;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the rules relating to the transferability of Criminal Records Bureau checks on the  (a) ability of schools to recruit suitable teachers on temporary contracts and  (b) cost of recruitment of such teachers.

Beverley Hughes: The Department has no plans to review the rules on the transferability of Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosures. We are not aware of any adverse effects arising from the rules relating to transferability. We are aware of the fact that there are often extra costs relating to temporary teachers if their employers insist on new Disclosures every time they change post or agency. This is however the decision of individual employers and not a result of our guidance to schools and teaching supply agencies. We issued our principal guidance document on safeguarding for schools "Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education" in 2006. Within this guidance we clearly set out that CRB Enhanced Disclosure certificates could be reused by those teachers moving schools, local authorities, or further education colleges, provided that all other recommended safer recruitment checks had been carried out satisfactorily and that the gap between leaving their old employment and taking up their new post was not more than three months. The CRB has produced a comprehensive Portability Framework document which sets out the issues relating to the reuse of Disclosure certificates, and this can obtained from the CRB website at:
	http://www.crb.gov.uk
	The Department's Educational Procurement Centre (EPC) is currently undertaking a Temporary Workers in Education project. This aims to provide schools (initially in London) with an accessible, quality driven electronic one stop shop for their temporary support staff requirements. All participating agencies will hold the DCSF Recruitment Employment Confederation (REC) Quality Mark, thereby meeting the requirements of the "Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education" guidance. All London boroughs will be able to benefit from a safe and value adding central service, reducing their own resourcing requirement in relation to temporary staff.

Warriner School Bloxham: Specialised Diplomas

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons the bid by the Warriner School, Bloxham, to run a diploma in environmental and land-based studies for 2009 was turned down.

Jim Knight: The Gateway process aims to ensure high quality delivery of the new, innovative diploma qualifications from the outset, creating sound foundations of good practice and delivery experience for the wider drive towards the 2013 entitlement.
	The application for Environmental and Land Based Studies from the North Oxfordshire 14-19 Partnership was not approved because the consortia did not provide sufficient information to show that it understood the full requirements of the new diploma, or that it had arrangements across the consortium to deliver the full range of the diploma. Employer engagement across the breadth of the diploma line also needed significant strengthening.
	The Department is arranging a detailed feedback meeting with each consortium during April and May, when the consortium will be able to discuss the assessment in detail.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he will answer parliamentary question:  (a) 17956 tabled on 14 November 2007,  (b) 176819 tabled on 18 December 2007,  (c) 174262 174261 and  (d) 174260 tabled on 11 December 2007,  (e) 173245 tabled on 6 December 2007,  (f) 172551 tabled on 4 December 2007,  (g) 172102 tabled on 3 December 2007,  (h) 170786 tabled on 28 November 2007,  (i) 169794 tabled on 27 November 2007,  (j) 165755 tabled on 14 November 2007,  (k) 163325, 163541 163208 and 163099 tabled on 7 November 2007 by the hon. Member for Yeovil; and what the reason is for the time taken in answering them.

Kevin Brennan: The Department has responded to all of the aforementioned parliamentary questions. We were informed that PQ 165755 had been withdrawn as the text of the PQ was identical to PQ 163222 which has received a full reply.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to answer questions  (a) 181521 and  (b) 181612 on departmental travel, tabled on 21 January 2008, by the hon. Member for Taunton; and what the reason for the time taken to respond is.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 3 March 2008
	The questions referred to were answered on 28 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1800-802W and on 25 March 2008,  Official Report, column 108W.
	Following the Machinery of Government Changes on 28 June 2007 the Department relies on management information supplied by the Department for Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to answer parliamentary questions relating to departmental matters. This has an impact on the time taken to respond to parliamentary questions.

Young People: Rural Areas

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many of the proposed intensive intervention projects in the Youth Taskforce Action Plan will be based in rural areas.

Beverley Hughes: The areas in which intensive intervention projects will be based have not yet been selected. In order to establish these areas the Department for Children, Schools and Families will use an open competition selection process in which all top tier local authorities will be eligible to submit a bid to apply for funding to set up an intensive intervention project in their area. The Department would hope to see strong bids for intensive intervention projects coming from local authorities across the country.

Zurich Financial Services

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors paid to Zurich Financial Services in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of the payment was in each case.

Edward Balls: I can confirm that the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessor the Department for Education and Skills have no record of any payments to a supplier Zurich Financial Services during the last nine years. The Department does not hold data prior to financial year 1999-2000.

Adult Education: Grants

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  where the call centre handling calls to the Adult Learning Grant helpline is located;
	(2)  what the average length of time is for an application for Adult Learning Grant to be processed following receipt of a completed application form;
	(3)  what training is given to staff responsible for responding to calls by members of the public to the Adult Learning Grant helpline; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many  (a) staff and  (b) full-time equivalent staff are employed to manage and operate the Adult Learning Grant helpline;
	(5)  how many applications for adult learning grant have been  (a) made, ( b) accepted and  (c) refused in (i) England, (ii) the area of the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Learning and Skills Council, (iii) Buckinghamshire and (iv) Aylesbury parliamentary constituency in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Adult Learning Grant has been available throughout England since September 2007 and during its pilot phase showed that it was successful at helping more individuals raise their skill levels through completing their training and gaining a qualification. It is intended to help low skilled individuals in work on low incomes achieve their first full Level 2 or first full Level 3 qualification. The grant offers up to £30 per week.
	The issues raised are matters for the Learning and Skills Council Adult Learning Grant for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and have responsibility for the contract with the helpline, assessment and payment body. Mark Haysom, the Council's chief executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Verity Bullough, dated 10 April 2008:
	In the absence of Mark Haysom I am writing in response to your parliamentary questions that asked:
	 1. What performance indicators have been set to asses the (a) quality of customer service provided by the adult learning grant helpline and (b) efficiency of the processing of applications for adult learning grant; and if he will make a statement.
	The administration of Adult Learning Grant moves to a new system from September 2008, This is part of wider changes to bring together the delivery of a number of strands of the LSC Learner Support, Programme, in order to give improved service to prospective learners.
	Delivery of the Adult Learning Grant on the old system in the first term of this academic year was not always satisfactory. Service performance indicators have been set for the new system and these have been met since early January. A baseline survey of the helpline was carried out last year and will be repeated when the new service is in operation, to assess improvement and customer satisfaction.
	 2. How many applications to grant have been (a) made, (b) accepted and (c) refused in (i) England, (ii) the area of the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Learning and Skills Council, (iii) Buckinghamshire and (iv) Aylesbury parliamentary constituency in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.
	Application information is available at LSC area level but not at local authority or constituency level.
	The table below shows application data for the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes LSC area.
	
		
			  Area  Applications received  Applications accepted (Awards)  Applications refused  Applications in progress 
			 England 31,786 22,227 7,050 2,509 
			 Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes 572 421 104 47 
		
	
	 3. Where the call centre handling calls to the Adult Learning Grant helpline is located.
	The Call Centre dedicated to handling Adult Learning Grant calls is in Manchester, with a back-up site in Barrow and imminent further back-up sites in Coventry and Darlington.
	 4. What training is given to staff responsible for responding to calls by members of the public to the Adult Learning Grant helpline; and if he will make a statement.
	Advisors undertake an initial two week training course incorporating mentoring with an experienced advisor and ongoing support and guidance from team leaders. Training continues throughout the Advisors' employment
	 5. What is the average length of time for an application for Adult Learning Grant to be processed following receipt of a completed application form.
	Applications are processed and a communication to the applicant is sent within 10 days of receipt.
	 6. How many (a) staff and (b) full-time equivalent staff are employed to manage and operate the Adult Learning Grant helpline.
	Staff levels dedicated to ALG calls vary in accordance with volumes of calls. There is a core of 7 full-time staff increasing to 27 full-time staff as required.
	 7. What is the average length of time for dispatch of an Adult Learning Grant pack following receipt of a request from a member of the public.
	ALG application forms are available from learning providers, Nextstep, Connexions and Learndirect. Learndirect despatch application packs direct to applicants within two working days of the request being made by 2(nd) class post. Learndirect advise callers that the application form should be with them within 7 days.

Adult Education: Grants

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the average length of time is for dispatch of an Adult Learning Grant pack following receipt of a request from a member of the public.

David Lammy: Adult Learning Grant has been available throughout England since September 2007 and during its pilot phase showed that it was successful at helping more individuals raise their skill levels through completing their training and gaining a qualification. It is intended to help low skilled individuals in work on low incomes achieve their first full Level 2 or first full Level 3 qualification. The grant offers up to £30 per week.
	The issues raised are matters for the Learning and Skills Council who administer the Adult Learning Grant for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and have responsibility for the contract with the helpline, assessment and payment body. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Verity Bullough, dated 10 April 2008:
	In the absence of Mark Haysom I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions that asked;
	 1.  What performance indicators have been set to assess the (a) quality of customer service provided by the adult learning grant helpline and (b) efficiency of the processing of applications for adult learning grant; and if he will make a statement.
	The administration of Adult Learning Grant moves to a new system from September 2008. This is part of wider changes to bring together the delivery of a number of strands of the LSC Learner Support, Programme, in order to give improved service to prospective learners.
	Delivery of the Adult Learning Grant on the old system in the first term of this academic year was not always satisfactory. Service performance indicators have been set for the new system and these have been met since early January. A baseline survey of the helpline was carried out last year and will be repeated when the new service is in operation, to assess improvement and customer satisfaction.
	 2. How many applications for adult learning grant have been (a) made, (b) accepted and (c) refused in (i) England, (ii) the area of the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Learning and Skills Council, (iii) Buckinghamshire and (iv) Aylesbury parliamentary constituency in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.
	Application information is available at LSC area level but not at Local Authority or constituency level.
	The table below shows application data for the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes LSC area.
	
		
			  Area  Applications Received  Applications Accepted (Awards)  Applications Refused  Applications in progress 
			 England 31,786 22,227 7,050 2,509 
			 Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes 572 421 104 473 
		
	
	 3. Where the call centre handling calls to the Adult Learning Grant helpline is located.
	The Call Centre dedicated to handling Adult Learning Grant calls is in Manchester, with a back-up site in Barrow and imminent further back-up sites in Coventry and Darlington.
	 4. What training is given to staff responsible for responding to calls by members of the public to the Adult Learning Grant helpline; and if he will make a statement.
	Advisors undertake an initial two week training course incorporating mentoring with an experienced advisor and ongoing support and guidance from team leaders. Training continues throughout the Advisors' employment.
	 5. What is the average length of time for an application for Adult Learning Grant to be processed following receipt of a completed application form.
	Applications are processed and a communication to the applicant is sent within 10 days of receipt.
	 6. How many (a) staff and (b) full-time equivalent staff are employed to manage and operate the Adult Learning Grant helpline.
	Staff levels dedicated to ALG calls vary in accordance with volumes of calls. There is a core of 7 full time staff increasing to 27 full time staff as required.
	 7. What is the average length of time for dispatch of an Adult Learning Grant pack following receipt of a request from a member of the public.
	ALG application forms are available from learning providers, Nextstep, Connexions and Learndirect. Learndirect despatch application packs direct to applicants within two working days of the request being made, by 2nd class post. Learndirect advise callers that the application form should be with them within 7 days.

Adult Education: Offenders

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the Government's policy is on the eligibility of ex-prisoners who have been released on licence at the end of their term in custody for adult learning grant; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Ex-prisoners, who have been released on licence at the end of their term in custody, are able to apply for the Adult Learning Grant (ALG) subject to meeting the full eligibility criteria. The grant is primarily intended to help individuals in work with low skills and on low incomes; individuals receiving out of work benefits are not eligible for ALG. Participants must be undertaking full time learning for their first full Level 2 or first full Level 3 qualification. Serving prisoners who are released on temporary licence to attend college are not eligible for ALG.
	The 'on licence' process helps offenders re-build their lives, return to their families and gain work. For those offenders wishing to gain qualifications, ALG can help support them in that learning. ALG has been available throughout England since September 2007 and during its pilot phase showed that it was successful at helping more individuals complete their training and gain a qualification.

Aimhigher Initiative

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1291W, on Aim Higher Initiative, what the reasons are for the change in expenditure levels on the aim higher programme.

Bill Rammell: In 2004-05, both HEFCE and the then DfES made additional, one-off, contributions to the Aimhigher budget. The funds were from underspends elsewhere, and amounted to over £25 million in total. In 2004, Ministers reviewed the programme and, in the light of the decision to introduce the Higher Education Grant, decided to reduce expenditure on Aimhigher to help fund the increases in student support, thereby providing more money directly to students from less well-off backgrounds. The growth in expenditure on student support was shown in the answer to Question 172276.
	The Government remain committed to Aimhigher and recently announced its extension to 2011. The Government and HEFCE have together allocated £239.5 million for the three years. This represents a substantial investment and is an indication of our continuing commitment to widen participation in higher education in line with the country's social and economic needs. More young people than ever before are applying to go to university. As of 15 January 2008, 311,741 people from England applied through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for 2008 HE entry, an increase of 7.1 per cent. on the same point of the previous year. Of the 18-year-olds and under applying for whom social class background is known, 28.9 per cent. are from lower socio-economic groups, up from 28.2 per cent. in 2007.

Apprentices

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of recent trends in the take-up of apprenticeships.

David Lammy: The latest figures available for take up of apprenticeships are for 2006/07 and show 180,000 starts compared to 2005/06 figures of 175,000.
	This is a marked increase in apprenticeship starts and this improvement is also reflected in the improving completion rate which is currently 63 per cent.
	World-class Apprenticeships looked at current trends in the context of expanding provision and we aim to build on the outcomes and improve the quality of apprenticeship provision and the apprenticeship experience for young people and adults.

Colleges of Education: Carbon Emissions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government plans to take to reduce carbon emissions from further education colleges.

David Lammy: Launched by the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on the 27 March, "Building Colleges for the Future" outlines detailed proposals for the largest ever further education building works programme, which will see £2.3 billion invested over the next three years.
	As part of this record investment, the Government announced that it would require all new projects to meet the highest building standards for sustainable design, including the need to achieve an 'Excellent' BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating—which includes mandatory requirements on energy.
	In support of the Governments targets for reducing the UK's carbon emissions by at least 26 per cent. by 2020, the Government have also set a target of all new college buildings to be zero carbon by 2016 and has a task force in place to advise on how we may be able to move even more quickly to this position. The task force is expected to publish its findings and recommendations in summer 2008.

Departmental Advertising

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of his Department's expenditure was on advertising in each year since establishment.

Bill Rammell: The Department's expenditure on advertising since its establishment is £2,416,687.
	To provide this as a percentage of overall departmental spend, the basis of departmental expenditure needs to be defined. The remit can include or exclude NDPBs, and as DIUS is in its first year of operation there is no audited expenditure information for the core department available. For these reasons, we are unable to provide this figure as a percentage of the Departments overall spend.

Departmental Marketing

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on publicity and advertising in 2007-08.

David Lammy: DIUS was formed following machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007 and is in its first year of operation. Since the final adjustments have not been made for that financial year there is no audited expenditure information available. Publicity and advertising cover a very wide range of activities and we do not hold centrally information on all expenditure in this area.

Departmental Public Relations

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many external contracts his Department has held with public relations companies since its inception; and what the total cost of those contracts was.

David Lammy: The information provided relates to both the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills, which were formed following the machinery of Government changes in June 2007. It is not possible to provide separate costs for each Department during 2007-08 except at disproportionate cost.
	Both Departments employ public relations agencies for specific communications tasks, most commonly working alongside our press offices to provide campaign support in local, regional and specialist media companies. They have used such agencies for 15 campaigns at a cost of £1.085 million since June 2007. These figures include contracts placed by both Departments using a framework agreement and by the Central Office of Information (COI) on our behalf.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many working days were lost by his Department due to stress-related illness in each of the last 24 months.

David Lammy: The percentage of working days lost by the Department's staff attributed to stress-related conditions during the six months from July to December amount to 15.6 per cent. of all working days lost due to sickness absence. It would involve disproportionate cost to disaggregate the records to present this information on a monthly basis. My Department was set up as part of the machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007, so the percentage is based on figures from 1 July to 31 December 2007 (the latest information available).
	The Department is committed to providing a safe working environment and has put in place a range of measures to support all employees on health and wellbeing issues, including the provision of professional counselling and occupational health services.

Departmental Travel

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department has spent on first class travel since establishment, broken down by staff grade.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created as a result of machinery of government changes in June 2007. Information on travel expenditure to this detail is not collected centrally in the Department. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, year to date, the Department has spent £1,807,973 on travel and subsistence.

Diplomatic Service

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what representation his Department has in UK overseas posts; and at what level.

David Lammy: DIUS interests are mainly represented in overseas posts by the FCO and the British Council. The level of representation varies according to the size of post and the amount and significance of bilateral activity. On science and innovation issues, the Government have recently announced that DIUS will assume responsibility for leading and managing science and innovation attaches based in embassies and high commissions overseas.

Educational Institutions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which further education colleges deliver higher education courses.

Bill Rammell: The following table lists the further education colleges which are directly funded by HEFCE to deliver higher education courses, together with the provisional level of grant each college will receive in 2008-09.
	
		
			  Provisional HEFCE grant 2008-09 
			  Further education colleges  £ 
			 Accrington and Rossendale College 628,843 
			 Askham Bryan College 1,430,746 
			 Barking College 881,394 
			 Bedford College 924,700 
			 Bexley College 78,577 
			 Bishop Burton College 2,750,685 
			 Blackburn College 7,914,131 
			 Blackpool and The Fylde College 6,474,241 
			 Bolton College 120,558 
			 Boston College 55,729 
			 Bradford 7,688,370 
			 Bridgwater College 578,038 
			 Bromley College of Further and Higher Education 66,800 
			 Brooklands College 453,864 
			 Calderdale College 727,318 
			 Carlisle College 523,842 
			 Castle College Nottingham 650,028 
			 Central Sussex College 574,704 
			 Chesterfield College 1,186,432 
			 Chichester College 520,031 
			 City of Bath College 522,957 
			 City College, Birmingham 308,143 
			 City College, Coventry 692,989 
			 City College, Manchester 1,898,818 
			 City College Plymouth 252,803 
			 City of Sunderland College 846,111 
			 City of Westminster College 1,072,184 
			 City of Wolverhampton College 63,523 
			 Cleveland College of Art and Design 1,916,437 
			 Craven College 220,664 
			 Croydon College 2,947,946 
			 Dearne Valley College 516,406 
			 Dewsbury College 1,026,829 
			 Doncaster College 3,399,298 
			 Dudley College of Technology 644,193 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College 321,455 
			 East Riding College 509,859 
			 Exeter College 584,605 
			 Fareham College 163,027 
			 Farnborough College of Technology 3,430,337 
			 Filton College 329,152 
			 Gateshead College 1,012,914 
			 Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology 1,112,232 
			 The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education 5,758,838 
			 Halesowen College 30,655 
			 Havering College of Further and Higher Education 4,376,635 
			 Henley College Coventry 576,187 
			 Hereford College of Arts 1,157,211 
			 Herefordshire College of Technology 360,028 
			 Highbury College, Portsmouth 795,990 
			 Hopwood Hall College 604,688 
			 Huddersfield Technical College 316,992 
			 Hull College 4,150,959 
			 Joseph Priestley College 35,537 
			 Kensington and Chelsea College 130,015 
			 Kingston College 327,325 
			 Lakes College - West Cumbria 901,461 
			 Lambeth College 27,884 
			 Leeds College of Art and Design 4,330,865 
			 Leeds College of Technology 183,284 
			 Leicester College 1,126,244 
			 Lewisham College 116,876 
			 Lincoln College 847,077 
			 Liverpool Community College 1,698,050 
			 Loughborough College 3,195,602 
			 Macclesfield College 2,145,158 
			 Manchester College of Arts and Technology 1,743,469 
			 Matthew Boulton College of Further and Higher Education 438,461 
			 Moulton College 998,173 
			 New College, Durham 3,707,031 
			 New College, Nottingham 2,495,449 
			 New College Stamford 534,379 
			 New College, Telford 65,119 
			 Newbury College 188,163 
			 Newcastle College 8,401,796 
			 North East Surrey College of Technology 3,714,079 
			 North East Worcestershire College 1,052,889 
			 North Lindsey College 2,302,185 
			 North Nottinghamshire College 126,511 
			 North Warwickshire and Hinckley College 493,252 
			 North West Kent College of Technology 128,651 
			 The College of North West London 774,449 
			 Northbrook College, Sussex 3,552,368 
			 Northumberland College 577,146 
			 Oxford and Cherwell Valley College 331,220 
			 Park Lane College 1,960,574 
			 Plymouth College of Art and Design 2,747,971 
			 Richmond upon Thames College 91,188 
			 Riverside College Halton 1,145,099 
			 Rotherham College of Arts and Technology 658,657 
			 Ruskin College 957,429 
			 Salford College 62,694 
			 Sandwell College 84,153 
			 The Sheffield College 1,174,020 
			 The Solihull College 1,485,237 
			 South Downs College 368,250 
			 South Leicestershire College 108,840 
			 South Nottingham College 330,105 
			 South Thames College 451,650 
			 Trafford College 620,396 
			 South Tyneside College 1,662,287 
			 Southampton City College 140,754 
			 Sparsholt College, Hampshire 2,254,380 
			 St Helens College 3,214,061 
			 Stephenson College 921,320 
			 Stockport College 3,204,729 
			 Stourbridge College 91,986 
			 Stratford upon Avon College 96,125 
			 Stroud College in Gloucestershire 60,580 
			 Swindon College 1,380,030 
			 Tameside College 438,306 
			 Telford College of Arts and Technology 114,584 
			 Totton College 14,448 
			 Tyne Metropolitan College 670,985 
			 Uxbridge College 300,439 
			 Wakefield College 1,281,344 
			 Walsall College 1,105,894 
			 Warwickshire College, Royal Leamington Spa, Rugby and More 3,098,983 
			 West Kent College 196,280 
			 West Nottinghamshire College 1,932,008 
			 West Thames College 473,164 
			 Westminster Kingsway College 1,025,999 
			 Wigan and Leigh College 2,168,535 
			 Wiltshire College 1,038,811 
			 Wirral Metropolitan College 1,214,253 
			 Worcester College of Technology 1,642,761 
			 York College 1,233,831 
			 Yorkshire Coast College of Further and Higher Education 253,742 
			 Overall total 166,884,146

English Language: Education

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of levels of demand for places on courses in English for speakers of other languages in London; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The demand for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses ties been very high with funding and enrolments across England tripling since 2001.
	Detailed information on ESOL funding and enrolments is collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSG) but this does not extend to waiting lists. However, some institutions, particularly in London, have suggested they have waiting lists of up to 24 months.
	A number of ESOL funding measures were introduced from August 2007 to help vulnerable learners. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has commissioned a report to look at the impact of these measures. The interim findings indicate a continuing high level of demand for ESOL and that the learner profile seems to be changing in some colleges, with more enrolments onto evening than daytime classes. A full report is planned for early spring.
	The national comprehensive spending review (CSR) has fixed ESOL spending until 2010 and participation figures in London have been forecast to align with this. London Learning and Skills Council has negotiated an increase in the size of its employer responsive budget for 2008-09 due to the specific socio-economic needs of London and ESOL needs for the individual and employers will be addressed within this.
	In addition, the London Learning and Skills Council is expanding the offer of ESOL Skills for Life to Entry Levels 1 and 2 within the train to gain service. The service will also be expanded to include the new ESOL for Work qualifications. This enables a greater flexibility for employers and individuals in accessing ESOL.

English Language: Qualifications

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many places on courses for qualifications in English for speakers of other languages have been provided in London over the last eight years.

Bill Rammell: The Government have put adult skills at the heart of their strategy for long-term prosperity and social justice. The total Government investment in further education has increased by 52 per cent. in real terms between 1997-98 and 2006-07 and we are committed to further increases in adult participation funded through the Learning and Skills Council to £3.6 billion in 2010-11.
	Since 2001 the Government have invested over £3 billion through the Skills for Life Strategy. The strategy offers adults the chance to improve their basic skills by enrolling on further education courses and other provision leading to qualifications in literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
	So far, 4.7 million people have taken up 10.5 million Skills for Life learning opportunities nationally, including 2 million people who have improved their English language skills. The number of learners enrolled on ESOL courses in London between 2001 and July 2007 was 999,747.
	Information about ESOL provision before 2001 when the Government launched the Skills for Life Strategy is not held in a format from which comparable data can be extracted without disproportionate cost.

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's policy is on the use of fair trade goods  (a) in staff catering facilities and  (b) at official departmental functions and meetings; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Catering facilities and for the Department are provided on our behalf by the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Both of those Departments have a policy to make Fair Trade products available throughout their catering operations.

Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of making the support available to full-time over 25-year-olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course equivalent to that of full-time, home-based, first degree undergraduates in respect of  (a) grants,  (b) maintenance loans and  (c) fee loans;
	(2)  if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of making the support available to part-time over 25-year-olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course equivalent to that of full-time, home-based, first degree undergraduates in respect of  (a) grants,  (b) maintenance loans and  (c) fee loans; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of making the support available to full-time 19 to 25-year-olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course equivalent to that of full-time, home-based, first degree undergraduates in respect of  (a) grants,  (b) maintenance loans and  (c) fee loans; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government offer a range of support for adults to enable them to get the skills they need for their career, or for progression, in whatever way best suits their needs, including both full and part-time provision.
	We have put in place a different set of support arrangements for learners on full Level 3 courses in Further Education, compared to home-based university undergraduates. Our priority for Level 3 entitlement learners is to help young adults to complete their initial education and provide full fee remission to protect them from increases in FE fees and learner support for those on low incomes; the Adult Learning Grant pays up to £30 per week during term times to help with learning costs for those studying for a first full Level 3 (or first full Level 2) qualification. They may then go on to higher education and take advantage of HE student support, or progress to higher skills training and/or employment. HE students undertake longer, more expensive courses, with higher additional incidental costs, such as books and materials, which is why the financial support arrangements are not directly comparable.
	We already have a strong package of measures in place to help young adults achieve advanced Level 3 qualifications. In the Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £60 million over the next three years for advanced Level 3 skills. This will allow more individuals to get the skills they need to get second chances and unlock their talents. We will be exploring new and innovative approaches to delivering training that individuals and employers need.
	These new resources will move us a step closer to realising our ambitious vision for universal Skills Accounts where adults will be able to access significant investment in their skills, including an Apprenticeships credit to cover training costs. We will be undertaking trials of Skills Accounts in 2008/09 and 2009/10, with national roll-out from 2010. And increasing the number of Advanced Apprenticeships will be a key focus for these additional resources, building on the recommendations of the recent Apprenticeships review.

Further Education: Admissions

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many 19 to 25 year olds enrolled on their first full level 3 qualification there were in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how many  (a) 25 to 30,  (b) 25 to 35 and  (c) over 25 year olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course there were in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: The Government are committed to ensuring that young adults have the opportunity to complete their education and gain a full Level 3 qualification that will enable them to progress into skilled employment or higher education. We are committed to achieving the 2011 indicator of 56 per cent. of working age adults qualified to at least full Level 3.
	The following table shows the number of people aged 19+ (to the nearest 1,000) doing full Level 3 in each year since 2002/03 (the earliest available), and estimated numbers doing a first full Level 3. Historical data on first full Level 3 by the requested age-bands is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 
			  Further education  
			 Full Level 3 learners 124,000 122,000 125,000 161,000 156,000 
			  O f which:  
			 First full L3 68,000 67,000 69,000 89,000 86,000 
			   
			  Advanced apprenticeships  
			 Full Level 3 starts 36,000 32,000 28,000 30,000 32,000 
			  O f which:  
			 First full L3 22,000 19,000 17,000 18,000 19,000 
			  Note: This time series combined data on learner numbers from the Individualised Learner Record with information from the Learning and Skills Council's Prior Qualifications Survey on 'firstness'. The survey tells us that 55 per cent. of full Level 3 learners in FE and 60 per cent. of people starting an Advanced Apprenticeship are doing their first full Level 3.

Higher Education: Admissions

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the higher education initial participation rate was in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) 18 to 21 and  (b) 22 to 30 year olds in each local education authority area.

Bill Rammell: The main measure for tracking progress on increasing participation is the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR). This is the sum of the HE initial participation rates for individual ages between 17 and 30 inclusive. It covers English-domiciled first time entrants to HE courses, which are expected to last for at least six months, at UK Higher Education Institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh Further Education Colleges, and who remain on their course for at least six months. The latest available figures are shown in Table 1:
	
		
			  Table 1: Higher Education Initial Participation Rate for 17-30 year olds 
			  Percentage 
			   HEIPR (17-30)  HEIPR (18-21)  HEIPR (22-30) 
			 1999-2000 39 39.2 32 32.4 7 6.5 
			 2000-01 40 39.6 33 33.0 6 6.3 
			 2001-02 40 40.2 34 33.6 6 6.3 
			 2002-03 41 41.1 34 33.8 7 6.9 
			 2003-04 40 40.2 33 32.9 7 7.0 
			 2004-05 40 40.1 33 32.7 7 7.0 
			 2005-06 42 42.5 35 35.0 7 7.2 
			 2006-07 40 39.8 33 32.6 7 6.8 
			  Notes:  1. The HEIPR is usually published to the nearest integer, but the figures are included to one decimal place to inform comparisons over time.  2. Numbers are quoted to the nearest thousand.  Source:  "Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999/2000-2006/07 (Provisional)" published by DIUS (2008). The HEIPR is not disaggregated below national level, and figures are not available for Earlier years than 1999/2000. 
		
	
	Everyone has known for a long time that student applications fell for 2006/07—the first year of variable fees. We also know that they recovered strongly for 2007/08, to resume an upward trend. The numbers fall of 2006/07 has affected the HEJPR for that year. Unsurprisingly it has fallen. A year from now, we will know how the counterbalancing rises of 2007/08 will affect the HEIPR, We expect to see an increase in the HEIPR.

Higher Education: Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what non-government organisations and groups he consulted prior to his Department's decision to reduce equal and lower qualification funding.

Bill Rammell: We took this decision from first principles in order to increase and widen participation in higher education. It would have been pointless to consult on an issue where we had already decided what to do, as a matter of principle, and successive governments have all taken major strategic decisions about principled priorities in this way. However, we asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England to consult extensively on the details of how our decision might best be implemented and our final proposals reflect the results of that consultation.

Higher Education: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will encourage universities not to use information from social networking sites when making decisions on  (a) student admissions and  (b) staff recruitment.

Bill Rammell: Admissions decisions are a matter for individual higher education institutions (HEIs) who, as independent bodies, have discretion over their own admission policies and procedures. Hits are also responsible for their own staff recruitment and for determining the policies and practices that apply to this; in line with employment and equality legislation. The Department does not therefore issue guidance in these areas.
	I have been reassured by the Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) team, who provide a centre of expertise in admissions matters, that such practices are not a feature of university admissions, despite press suggestions to the contrary, I expect admissions officers to continue to select suitable candidates based on their achievements and potentially as they do now. Social and other networking sites will not provide reliable and authenticated evidence of the kind required to support such important decisions.
	As outlined above HE institutions operate within a legal framework in relation to recruitment, like other employers. As such, they would be responsible for determining their legal position if they chose to make use of material that candidates' have placed in the public domain in their recruitment processes. Institutions must comply with the law and in our view they should also comply with best practice in their recruitment processes.

Press

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the cost of the press offices of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies was in each year since1996-97; what the cost was in each quarter since 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created as a result of machinery of Government changes in June 2007. As such, the cost of the press offices of the Department, its agencies and its non-departmental public bodies prior to these changes will be reported within the figures presented by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. To disaggregate these numbers to provide a separate return for DIUS would represent a disproportionate cost.
	The 2007-08 accounts for DIUS have not been audited and as such we are unable to provide information for the 2007-08 financial year.

Press

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many press office staff were employed by  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies (i) in each year since 1996-97 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was formed on 28 June 2007 as a result of the machinery of Government changes. It currently employs 12 full-time press officers.
	For much of its business, the Department operates through a number of arms length bodies including 20 non-departmental public bodies and other agencies. It is the responsibility of each body to manage its staff structure and costs. Therefore the Department does not hold the information requested centrally and there would be a disproportionate cost to gather the information requested.

Publications: Obesity

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the cost was of printing and distributing the publication Tackling Obesity: Future Choices; how many copies were printed; and to whom it was distributed.

Ian Pearson: The printing and distribution costs for the 'Tackling Obesities: Future Choices' report were about £17,000 and £10,000 respectively. 4,000 copies were printed, including a second edition.
	The report was circulated to key stakeholders including relevant Government Departments, academic institutions, NGOs, the press and those who attended the launch event in October 2007 and other dissemination events and activities. In addition, it was, and continues to be, sent in response to individual requests.

Rackspace

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies in each of the last nine years.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created as a result of machinery of Government changes in June 2007. Neither DIUS, nor it's agencies, have any contracts with Rackspace.

Skilled Workers

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 12 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1624W, to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings, on skilled workers, what his most recent estimate is of the number of skill shortage vacancies in  (a) the construction sector and  (b) the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.

David Lammy: The National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) 2005 for England has the most current publicly available data on skill shortages. The 2005 survey shows that 143,125 employers reported at least one skills shortage vacancy (SSV). Of these, construction accounted for 11,900 skill shortage vacancies. Forecast data by ConstructionSkills anticipates that to meet the demand for new workers, the construction industry in England will need to recruit 74,340 people per annum between 2008 to 2012. The NESS 2005 also shows that 12,900 vacancies in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism arise as a result of a skills shortage. People 1st research indicates that chef and managerial vacancies are hardest to fill. Updated data on skill shortage vacancies will be available when the NESS 2007 is published after the end of March.

Student Wastage

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of students left university in their first year in the 2006-07 academic year; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for them leaving.

Bill Rammell: The latest figures available on non-continuation of higher education students are for the 2004/05 academic year. The latest available information is shown in table 1 and is broken down by young (under 21) and mature (21 and over) students and first degree and other undergraduate entrants.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of UK domiciled full-time first degree and other undergraduate entrants not continuing in higher education after their first year, English higher education institutions, academic year 2004/05 
			  Age  First degree  Other UG 
			 Young (under 21) 6.8 16.6 
			 Mature (21 and over) 14.0 14.8 
			  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA. 
		
	
	Figures for the 2005/06 academic year will be available later this year and those for the 2006/07 academic year, in 2009. HESA do not publish figures on the percentage of part-time students not continuing in higher education after their first year.
	According to the figures published by the OECD, the overall completion rate for type A (first degree equivalent) courses in UK universities and colleges of higher education is among the highest in the OECD countries (the UK ranks fifth out of 23 countries who report data in this area).
	The percentage of students in England not completing their course has fallen to its lowest since the non-completion performance indicator was introduced, which already starts from a baseline which is low by international standards.
	The latest available information for reasons for leaving higher education courses is shown in table 2. This is broken down by first degree and other undergraduate entrants.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of UK domiciled first degree and other undergraduate entrants( 1)  who left their course, English higher education institutions, academic year 2006/07 
			  Reason for leaving  First degree  Other UG 
			 Successful completion of course 7,925 48,955 
			 Transferred to another institution 1,830 490 
			 Academic failure/left in bad standing/not permitted to progress 4,995 3,780 
			 Health reasons 625 445 
			 Death 70 50 
			 Financial reasons 610 255 
			 Other personal reasons and dropped out 7,700 5,260 
			 Written off after lapse of time 1,315 1,170 
			 Exclusion 650 345 
			 Gone into employment 690 375 
			 Other 3,840 2,325 
			 Completion of course, result unknown 105 1,940 
			 Unknown 990 935 
			 Total who left course early not having transferred 21,595 16,885 
			 Total who left in academic year 31,350 66,330 
			 (1) Covers both full-time and part-time students.  Note: Figures are on a HESA Standard Registration Population basis and have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The reason for leaving information on the HESA student record should be treated with some caution, because the 'other personal reasons and dropped out' and 'other' fields are used extensively, Institutions are not always able to record the precise reason for leaving. Furthermore, HESA allows only one reason for withdrawal to be recorded, however it is likely that many students leave for a combination of reasons.

Student Wastage

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what information his Department holds on the  (a) gender,  (b) socio-economic background and  (c) ethnicity of students who fail to complete their first degree; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The available information on the proportion of UK-domiciled starters to full-time first degree courses who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution is shown in table 1. It is not possible to break these figures down by gender, socio-economic background or ethnicity. Comparable figures for the 2005/06 academic year will become available in June this year. Information on the actual number of students who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution has not been published.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of full-time first degree starters at English and UK higher education institutions, who were projected to neither gain an award nor transfer to another institution—academic years 1997/98 to 2004/05 
			  Percentage 
			  Academic year  1997/98  1998/99  1999/2000  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 England 15.8 15.9 15.8 15.0 13.8 13.9 14.4 13.8 
			 UK 15.7 15.8 15.8 15.0 14.1 14.4 14.9 14.2 
			  Notes: 1. The projected outcomes for a cohort are based on the assumption that their patterns of progression will follow those of students currently in the system. A student is assumed to have left with no award if they have been inactive for two years. 2. Figures from the 1996/97 academic year have been excluded due to a change in methodology between 1996/97 and 1997/98. 3. Figures for years earlier than 1996/97 are not available.  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	HESA also publishes non-continuation indicators, which show the proportion of entrants to full-time first degree courses not continuing in higher education after their first year. It is possible to break these down by gender, ethnicity and National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC), and this information is shown in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of UK-domiciled young( 1)  entrants to full-time first degree courses at UK higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year by gender, ethnicity and NS-SEC—academic years 2002/03 to 2004/05 
			  Percentage 
			  Background   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Gender Female 6.8 6.7 6.5 
			  Male 8.9 8.8 8.0 
			  
			 Ethnicity White 7.6 7.5 7.1 
			  Non-White 7.4 7.1 6.6 
			  Unknown 14.4 13.9 13.3 
			  
			 NS-SEC Groups 1-3 6.3 6.0 5.6 
			  Groups 4-7 8.1 8.2 7.6 
			  Unknown 10.6 12.5 11.8 
			  
			 All backgrounds  7.8 7.7 7.2 
			 (1) Young refers to entrants who are under 21 years of age.  Notes: 1. Non-continuation rates provide the percentage of students who enter a higher education institution in one academic year, who are no longer in a HEI in the following academic year and have not qualified. 2. Figures for years earlier than 2002/03 are not currently available.  Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). 
		
	
	Student retention rates in this country compare very well internationally. The UK ranks fifth in the OECD for first degree completion rates, out of 23 countries who report data in this area. A university education is now open to more students than ever before and the Government are totally committed to providing opportunities for all people to achieve their potential and to maximise their talent.

Students: Fees and Charges

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government plans to take to prevent students from being banned from university campuses due to late payment of fees.

Bill Rammell: All eligible students starting their higher education course in the academic year 2006/07 can take out a non means-tested loan for tuition fees: they do not have to pay the fees themselves at the start of the academic year. The fee loan is up to £3,070 in 2007/08 (£3,145 in 2008/09, The Student Loans Company pay the tuition fee direct to higher education institutions; the loan is repaid after graduation on the same terms as loans for maintenance. The policy on payments and attendance Is a matter for each higher education institution.
	We re-introduced a means-tested higher education maintenance grant for students who started their course in 2006/07, Up to £2,765 is available in 2007/08 (£2,835 in 2008/09). From 2008/09 the minimum threshold (of family income) for a full maintenance grant will be increased from £17,500 a year to £25,000 a year; with a partial grant available up to an income threshold of £60,000, It is expected that up to around two thirds of air students will receive a full-or partial-grant
	For full-time students, maintenance loans are also available—for example up to £6,315 in 2007/08 (£6,475 in 2008/09) for students in London living away from home. Most universities offer institutional bursaries above the mandatory minimum level of £305 in 2007/08 (£310 in 2008/09).
	In addition, full-time students with dependants can claim supplementary grants including adult dependants grant; Parents learning allowance and childcare grant. Both full and part-time students can claim disabled students allowances to support the course related costs of disabled students.
	For part-time students, in 2007/08 a fee grant of up to £1,150 (£1,180 in 2008/09) is available (depending on how intensive the course is), together with a course grant of up to £250 (£255 in 2008/09).

Students: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when the sector assessment of the impact of the new funding criteria for equivalent or lower qualification students will be published.

Bill Rammell: We will respond substantively to this point when we publish our response to Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee's recent report. But any full analysis has to look not just at the characteristics of existing students but also at the millions of potential students without a first HE qualification who will have more opportunities in future as a result of our policy.

Universities: Business

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when the Government expects that every university will be twinned with a business champion.

Bill Rammell: Business engagement in different forms is increasingly a mainstream activity for every university. Over 90 per cent. provide an inquiry point for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and over 80 per cent. provide short bespoke courses on company premises. It is for individual higher education institutions (HEIs) to decide the nature of their engagement with business, including whether to twin with a business champion.
	However, the demands imposed by global competition mean that Government have a key role to play in creating the conditions within which individual HEIs develop a range of mutually beneficial collaborations with appropriate businesses and employer partners. For example, we have provided the funding to enable the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to deliver its 'Transforming Workforce Development' programme of activities, which is set to enable a wide range of HEIs to work more closely with businesses in supporting work force development. This will allow growth in a new form of higher education, co-funded by employers, that will deliver higher level skills provision that meets business needs.

Vocational Education: USA

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage recognition in the United States of vocational qualifications awarded in the UK.

David Lammy: The Government are keen to encourage recognition of UK qualifications overseas in order to help our citizens to study or work abroad. National Academic Recognition and Information Centres (NARICs) as do European Network of Information Centres (ENICs) exist to provide information and advice about vocational, academic and professional skills and qualifications from all over the world, and the NARIC/ENIC international network provides similar advice to UK citizens seeking to study or work abroad. In recent years the UK NARIC has worked with the US ENIC on the broad principles relating to recognition practices for vocational and professional qualifications below degree.

Vocational Training: Construction

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the training of youth construction workers offered by the Olympic Delivery Authority with the policies of World Class Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All.

David Lammy: Our underlying commitments in world-class apprenticeships are to ensure a significant increase in the number and quality of apprenticeships. World-class apprenticeships emphasises our commitment to encourage companies contracted to the Government for projects such as the Olympics, to employ apprentices. My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Olympics and London has already responded to the hon. Member's previous question about the Olympic Delivery Authority's plans including their expectations for the provision of apprenticeships.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service family accommodation units that are both earmarked for disposal or demolition and no longer in use as family accommodation are within a perimeter security fence; and how much rent his Department paid in respect of such units in the last financial year.

Derek Twigg: There are currently 112 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in England and Wales which are located within a perimeter fence and are earmarked for disposal, the vast majority of which are currently void. These are owned by Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL). No properties within a perimeter fence are earmarked for demolition.
	The MOD pays 42 per cent. of the market rent on each of these properties. However, as the number of void properties across the estate changes constantly, it is not possible to identify an exact sum for rent paid on AHL void properties over the last financial year. The average rent paid to AHL across all properties has recently been recalculated at £3,650 per property per annum.

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the proceeds from the sale of his Department's former housing and other land, subsequently sold by Annington Estates, was passed to the Government in each year since such sales have taken place; and what this represented as a percentage of the sale price in each year.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 March 2008,  Official Report, column 514W.
	The current percentage received is 19 per cent. Up to 2012 the percentage reduces year by year on a sliding scale from the date of the sale of the service family accommodation estate in England and Wales to Annington Homes Ltd.

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid Annington Estates in  (a) rent and  (b) costs of maintenance of residential dwellings in each year since the company acquired his former Department's properties.

Derek Twigg: The rental figures paid to Annington Homes Ltd for all properties are as follows (by calendar year):
	
		
			  £ 
			 1996 44,545,831.10 
			 1997 109,588,221.71 
			 1998 104,279,336.72 
			 1999 104,582,001.10 
			 2000 111,038,380.36 
			 2001 115,412,276.57 
			 2002 122,333,291.55 
			 2003 130,758,425.28 
			 2004 130,906,106.14 
			 2005 136,444,876.74 
			 2006 142,412,664.41 
			 2007 147,284,003.45 
			 2008 (1)37,885,404.64 
			 (1) To March 2008 
		
	
	No payments were made to Annington Homes for costs of maintenance of properties that are underleased for Service occupation.

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the Government receive from Annington Estates or Annington Homes Limited a percentage of the profit which the company makes on the subsequent disposal of former Ministry of Defence  (a) housing and  (b) land.

Derek Twigg: The 1996 Sale Agreement with Annington Homes Ltd includes a Profit Share Agreement. Under this, the Exchequer receives a percentage of any profit made on the subsequent disposal of properties and land that form part of a release to the company. To date the Exchequer has received some £140 million under this arrangement.

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid for improvements and modernisation of residential dwellings owned by Annington Homes Limited in Colchester constituency which have subsequently been handed back to Annington Homes Limited in each year since the company acquired the properties.

Derek Twigg: Our records show no Service Family Accommodation in Colchester that has been handed back to Annington Homes Ltd after having improvement or modernisation work carried out.

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid for improvements and modernisation of residential dwellings owned by Annington Homes Limited in Colchester constituency in each year since the company acquired the properties.

Derek Twigg: The Department retains responsibility for the maintenance and upgrade of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) owned by Annington Homes Ltd.
	The amount spent on improvements and modernisation of SFA in the Colchester constituency each year since 1996 is as follows:
	
		
			   Total (£ million) 
			 1997-98 0.5 
			 1998-99 1.5 
			 1999-2000 1.3 
			 2000-01 1.8 
			 2001-02 1.9 
			 2002-03 1.2 
			 2003-04 1.1 
			 2004-05 1.6 
			 2005-06 0.7 
			 2006-07 0.5 
			 2007-08 0.65

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former residential properties of his Department were handed back for sale in each year since acquisition by Annington Estates.

Derek Twigg: Since the 1996 sale of service family accommodation to Annington Homes Ltd, the following numbers have been returned in each year:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1996 0 
			 1997 8 
			 1998 1,366 
			 1999 1,188 
			 2000 2,679 
			 2001 2,640 
			 2002 2,195 
			 2003 1,513 
			 2004 624 
			 2005 591 
			 2006 420 
			 2007 187

Armed Forces: Pay

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces veterans had their terminal benefits paid late in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: Information on the number of armed forces veterans who had their terminal benefits paid late is only available by financial year from 2001-02.
	
		
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2001-02 1 
			 2002-03 1 
			 2003-04 b 
			 2004-05 3 
			 2005-06 3 
			 2006-07 1,707 
			 2007-08 645 
		
	
	For the purposes of the answer late is defined as not meeting the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) internal target for the payment of terminal benefits (i.e. to authorise payment within five working days of receipt of all relevant documents or from the discharge date, whichever is the later).
	In order to reduce late payment and to meet the target turn around time a dedicated service leavers team has been created and personnel have undergone additional training which is having a positive impact.

Armed Forces: Training

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of likely savings as a result of the Defence training review over the next 25 years.

Bob Ainsworth: The broad projection of the through life (30 years) savings of the DTR Package 1 project is approximately £400 million, although this continues to be subject to development of the Metrix solution. As previously announced, the way ahead for Package 2 is the subject of further work and therefore no specific estimate of the likely savings can yet be made.

Armed Forces: Widowed People

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces widows voluntarily surrendered their pensions on remarriage or cohabitation in each of the last five years; and what the associated saving to the defence budget was in each year.

Derek Twigg: I am aware that a number of months have now elapsed since I agreed to write to you following your parliamentary question on 3 December 2007,  Official Report, column 824W, about how many Armed Forces widows in each of the last five years voluntarily surrendered their pension on remarriage or cohabitation; and what the associated saving to the defence budget was in each year.
	As I explained in my answer, an exercise is currently being undertaken to provide detailed figures. This has involved the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency conducting a bespoke exercise in order to generate the necessary data required by the scheme actuary to conduct an analysis to answer the second part of your question.
	Unfortunately, this exercise has taken longer than originally anticipated, but I can advise that it is nearing completion and I hope to be in a position to respond to you shortly after the Easter recess.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 14 March 2008,  Official Report, column 719W, on Valuation Office, what the timetable is for the Agency to decide whether to introduce a records management system.

Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency has commissioned its IT partner to investigate possible electronic document and records management (EDRM) solutions. Until the proposal in respect of this is received, there is no specified timetable for the Agency to reach a decision.

Migration: Statistics

Damian Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the funding required to implement the recommendations made by the inter-departmental task force on migration statistics; what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues over such funding; and how much has been allocated to implement these recommendations in each of the next three years.

Edward Miliband: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, 21 April 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question o the funding required to implement the recommendations made by the inter-departmental taskforce on migration statistics and discussions that have been held with ministerial colleagues. (199857)
	ONS is currently in the final stages of agreeing the work programme for improving migration statistics. The initial assessment ONS made of the funding required to implement the migration task force recommendations is estimated to be $38 million over five years in full implementation were to be achieved. This estimate is made up of work needed in other government departments as well as the work ONS would do.
	ONS has had discussions with departmental colleagues over the work programme and the associated funding requirements, and those colleagues have engaged their Ministers. The National Statistician has also engaged directly with John Healey and Liam Byrne on this matter but no formal ministerial meeting has been held at this state.
	The statistical work programme for ONS as a whole, which will cover the first four years of migration statistics improvements, is being finalised and will be the details of the migration statistics improvement programme.

Political Office

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was contributed from the public purse towards the cost of Downing Street Political Office staff that are part funded by the Labour Party, in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member for Horsham to the answer the Prime Minister gave to you on 22 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1789W.

China: Human Rights

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions he has raised the issue of human rights abuses with his Chinese counterpart in the last five years.

Meg Munn: We regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese government. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been in regular contact with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi over the last two weeks to register concern for the situation in Tibet. He also raised a number of issues, including ratification of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and media freedom, with the Chinese Foreign Minister during his visit to China in February 2008. We are unable to detail how many times my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has raised human rights concerns with Chinese counterparts over the last five years without incurring disproportionate cost.

Europe: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on gender responsive budgeting.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 4 March 2008
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with EU counterparts on the specific issue of gender responsive budgeting.
	However, the Government are supportive of efforts to achieve gender equality and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Meg Munn) on 13 March 2008,  Official Report, column 643W.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government have had any discussions with the prospective candidates for the US presidency on the Israel-Palestine conflict and its humanitarian implications; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government, both in London and through our embassy in Washington, discusses a wide range of issues—including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—with the US presidential candidates and their advisers on a continuing basis. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met Senator John McCain on 20 March.

Papua

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the treatment of the population of West Papua by the Indonesian authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Our embassy in Jakarta follows the situation in Papua closely and is in regular contact with human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations and academics who provide reports on developments in the region. Embassy staff also visit Papua regularly, most recently from 15-20 February 2008. While there they held discussions with local officials, non-governmental organisations and representatives of religious organisations on a range of issues, including human rights.
	We assess that the Indonesian Government is committed to making improvements in the human rights situation as well as promoting wider development efforts in Papua. The invitations from the Indonesian Government to the UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders, Hina Jilanai, and Professor Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, to visit Papua are encouraging signs of this.

Rendition

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken in international fora to raise concerns on the use of extraordinary rendition.

Kim Howells: We have cooperated fully with previous investigations by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe on rendition and have informed them of the new information we received from the US on 15 February regarding two cases of rendition through Diego Garcia in 2002. We will continue to cooperate with such international fora on this issue.

Saudi Arabia: Overseas Residence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 836W, on Saudi Arabia: overseas residence, if he will make representations to the government of Saudi Arabia to permit non-Muslims to practise their faith in public.

Kim Howells: This is an internal matter for the Saudi government. They are well aware that the Government believes freedom of worship is a right that people should enjoy everywhere. There are no additional plans to make representations to the Government of Saudi Arabia to permit non-Muslims to practice their faith in public.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government of Sudan has placed any obstacles in the way of the deployment of helicopters by UNAMID; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We understand the Government of Sudan has declared it will not object to any country providing helicopters for the UN-African Union (AU) Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The Government of Sudan signed a Status of Forces Agreement with the AU and the UN on 9 February 2008, which should remove a number of related obstacles to UNAMID deployment, including movement of equipment and visas for UNAMID personnel. The UN, AU and the Government of Sudan continue to negotiate over limitations on UNAMID flights. We have, in regular contacts with the Government of Sudan, pressed the Government of Sudan to co-operate fully with the AU and the UN over UNAMID and remove limitations on flights.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions the Government has had with the government of Chad on Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UK is represented in Chad through our high commission in Yaounde. Officials from the high commission regularly visit Chad and have raised the issue of Darfur on numerous occasions. The last visits to Chad were on 19 November 2007 and 5-8 February 2008, where Darfur was raised with the Chadian Foreign Minister Ahmad Allam-mi and the Deputy Foreign Minister respectively.
	The Government will also continue to work multilaterally through the UN and the EU to support initiatives to reduce tensions between Chad and Sudan. We have repeatedly called on the Governments of both Chad and Sudan to end support for armed groups in the region.

Turkey: EU Accession

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government have taken to increase support for Turkish accession to the European Union amongst EU member states.

Jim Murphy: The Government are a strong advocate and supporter of Turkish accession to the EU, and reaffirms this at each possible opportunity.
	The UK works closely with other EU member states on enlargement issues, co-operating actively to support Turkey's reform process and to ensure that progress remains on track. At the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in December 2007, EU Foreign Ministers reiterated that the EU will keep its previously agreed commitments towards countries in the enlargement process.

Arts

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding  (a) his Department and  (b) lottery distributors have contributed towards projects aimed at increasing participation in the arts by priority groups, with particular reference to (i) black and minority ethnic, (ii) limiting disability and (iii) lower socio-economic groups in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: DCMS' funding for the arts is channelled through Arts Council England (ACE). Increasing participation by priority groups is a strategic aim which cannot be disaggregated from overall funding, but which is supported by a large number of activities and initiatives.
	There have been a range of initiatives over the last 10 years aimed at this objective, including the New Audiences Programme (1998 to 2003), the work of audience development agencies and the decibel initiative. Other activities and initiatives include:
	The Grants for the Arts lottery programme has been weighted in favour of first time applicants and those from disadvantaged areas—draft figures indicate that in 2007-08, 29 per cent. of applications were for work largely of benefit to areas of social deprivation.
	ACE rolled out its first race equality scheme in 2004. The scheme included the production of a tool kit to support regularly funded organisations (RFOs) in their work on race equality and diversity.
	ACE reached its target for 10 per cent. of the value of its Grants for the Arts programme to go to BME artists/organisations. BME-led organisations also now make up 5.7 per cent. of the RFO portfolio (an annual investment of £7.4 million).
	ACE is also rolling out a disability equality scheme (DES) which runs till 2010, with the aim of achieving disability equality within its own organisation, and within the arts and creative sector they fund and support. 3 per cent. of the value of the Grants for the Arts programme was allocated to disability-led organisations in 2007-08; this is an annual investment of £1.6 million.

Arts: Bureaucracy

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has for reducing the burden of administration on arts organisations.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 2 April 2008
	As part of his report on excellence in the arts, Sir Brian McMaster recommended a new, light-touch and non-bureaucratic system for judging the quality of the arts in the future. The starting point for this will be a system of self-assessment within organisations, designed to allow them to measure themselves against their own and shared objectives and a cyclical process of peer review, led by respected practitioners.
	Underpinning both will be a move away from measurement of data to a more judgment based approach, where qualified individuals who have the confidence and respect of the arts sector can make value based judgments of performance, without the need to burden arts organisations with overly complex reporting procedures.
	This reflects the wider work the Department is doing to reduce the burden we place on our NDPBs. A process of risk assessment will enable us to focus our scrutiny on the few areas of higher risk and adopt a more light-touch approach in most cases. Funding agreements will be shorter, with fewer targets, fewer monitoring returns will be required, and where possible and appropriate we will extend NDPBs' delegated powers.

Arts: Standards

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has for reducing the number of targets which are applied to the arts sector.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 3 April 2008
	Arts Council England is responsible for funding agreements with their regularly funded organisations, and therefore target setting for arts organisations rests with them. As part of his report on excellence in the arts, Sir Brian McMaster recommended a move away from 'top-down' targets towards a more judgement-based system.
	Work is now underway to implement Sir Brian's recommendations both within DCMS and Arts Council England and in the arts sector more widely. Part of this work will be developing, testing and implementing a new judgement-based assessment framework.

Culture: Young People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps the Government has taken to provide opportunities for young people to engage in cultural activities.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 26 March 2008
	We are committed to giving young people access to high quality cultural activities and continue to make significant investment in this area.
	For example in November 2007 we announced a total investment of £332 million in school music over the next three years.
	We also recently announced that a further £110 million will be allocated to the successful Creative Partnerships programme and that £5.5 million will go towards supporting youth dance over the same period.
	We continue to invest in museums education, through both our programme of strategic commissioning which we will invest over £13 million in the next three years, and through our support for the Renaissance in the Regions programme.
	Building on this, we announced on 13 February 2008 our plans for a Find Your Talent programme of 10 pilots that will trial ways of offering young people a range of cultural opportunities for five hours a week in and out of school.
	We are seeking applications from partnerships in local areas around the country and have published a prospectus setting out a core range of activities we believe young people should be able to engage with. What we learn from this will inform our plans for a national roll out.

Departmental Contracts

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contracts his Department has with EUCLID; and what the combined monetary value of such contracts is.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 1 April 2008
	 EUCLID is currently contracted by DCMS to act as the UK's cultural contact point for the European Union's Culture programme. This contract has a monetary value of £50,000 per year for two years. This sum is match funded by the European Commission. EUCLID also holds the contract to promote the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue in the UK. The cost of this contract was a one off payment of £10,000.

Football: Insurance

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to require the Football Association to establish a national insurance scheme to cover injuries caused to one player by another player in matches organised by county football associations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The FA currently has no plans to establish a county football association national insurance scheme.
	The FA reviewed this issue in 2006 and took the decision to make liability insurance mandatory for all affiliated clubs with effect from season 2007-08.
	The FA explored the possibility of a liability insurance scheme for all those participating in the national game below The FA Premier League, Football League and National League system levels 1 to 4. The scope of the insurance cover required by county associations was reviewed, and The FA says this confirmed that a centrally arranged scheme would be impracticable.
	The FA decided that county associations should comply with the implementation of mandatory public liability insurance, with the option to decide locally the level of cover and indemnity limits required.
	The review also included a tender process to identify insurance brokers prepared to offer county associations a range of public liability options including player to player cover.
	I intend to raise this issue with the FA at our next meeting.

Sports: VAT

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on HM Revenue and Customs' decision to apply VAT at the standard rate retrospectively to inclusive membership packages offered by sports and leisure trusts; what representations he has received on the subject; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this subject, although as Minister for Sport I have held discussions with HMT and DCMS officials have been in regular contact with their counterparts at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). I have received a number of representations on the issue of VAT and its application in respect of leisure trusts. This included a meeting with Sporta, the leisure trust umbrella body, to hear their concerns. I have been assured by HMRC that there has been no recent change in policy on VAT and leisure trusts and that discussions have taken place and will continue to take place as necessary, between HMRC and businesses and organisations. In relation to retrospective charges in particular I am informed that trusts who can show that they have misunderstood the tax position in relation to their services or have been misdirected by HMRC can ask for consideration to be given to remitting the retrospective tax.

Visit Britain: Property

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average cost per square metre of  (a) stand alone Visit Britain offices outside the UK and  (b) Visit Britain offices incorporated in other Government offices abroad was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: As part of the strategic review of tourism support, VisitBritain is leading a discussion across the public and private sectors about the best use of the British Government's overseas offices and infrastructure in promoting the tourism industry. The review will include a full consideration of best value in the use of these assets, to that end.
	In advance of the review's findings, VisitBritain has advised DCMS that the costs of its stand-alone offices outside the UK are on average £17.63 per square foot; and that the average costs in the 11 locations where VisitBritain rents office space at embassy, high commission, or British Council premises are £30.71 per square foot. However the average cost figures do not reflect the particular circumstances of particular locations and it is therefore difficult to make accurate cost comparisons.
	Furthermore additional charges for administration and offices services are made in respect of British Council, high commission, and embassy locations, and these are not included in the above average figures.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the letters of 28 January 2008 and 6 March 2008 from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford on his constituent Mr. J. Burrows.

Gareth Thomas: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding, this was due to an administrative error. A response has been sent today from my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Services was sent on 15 April 2008.

Post Offices: Subsidies

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what level of subsidy will be available to the Post Office network after 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: In its response to the national consultation on the post office network in May 2007, the Government recognised that further funding will be required beyond 2011 as parts of the network can never be commercial. It also concluded that it would be premature to make a judgment about what level of funding would be required after 2011 given the changes planned for the network in the intervening period.

Telephones: Fees and Charges

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to respond to the Ofcom report on the extra charges imposed on those paying for telephonic use who choose not to use direct debit.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 20 March 2008
	Additional charges levied by communications providers on their customers' bills are a matter for the regulator and not the Government, and has been addressed by Ofcom's review. Because of the widespread concern about extra charges, such as not paying bills by direct debits, Ofcom is currently consulting on its review of additional charges and the introduction of new guidance for communications providers who levy such charges on consumers. The consultation process will end on 8 May 2008.
	Ofcom is then proposing to allow three months for companies to bring their contract terms and marketing material into line with the guidance. It will also publish a checklist for customers on what to look out for before they sign on the dotted line.

Chlamydia

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with chlamydia in each year since 1997-98; and what proportion in each year were  (a) men and  (b) women.

Dawn Primarolo: Table 1 shows the number of uncomplicated chlamydia infections diagnosed in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics in England from 1997 to 2006, by sex. Table 2 shows the percentage of uncomplicated chlamydia infections diagnosed in men and women in GUM clinics in England from 1997 to 2006.
	The National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) does not undertake diagnostic testing as it provides screening to asymptomatic people in England. Table 3 shows the number of positive chlamydia screens by sex among those aged 13 to 24 years who were screened for chlamydia as part of the NCSP during the period 2003-07. Table 4 shows the proportion male and female of the positive screens among those aged 13 to 24 years as part of the NCSP for the period 2003-07.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of uncomplicated chlamydia infections diagnosed in GUM clinics in England, by sex, 1997-2006 
			   Men  Women  Total 
			 1997 16,180 22,659 38,839 
			 1998 18,937 24,975 43,912 
			 1999 21,776 29,184 50,960 
			 2000 26,579 34,791 61,370 
			 2001 29,562 38,618 68,180 
			 2002 34,331 43,786 78,117 
			 2003 37,996 47,520 85,516 
			 2004 42,681 50,267 92,948 
			 2005 45,155 50,775 95,930 
			 2006 48,863 50,367 99,230 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The proportion of uncomplicated chlamydia infections diagnosed in men and women in GUM clinics in England; 1997-2006 
			  Percentage 
			   Men  Women 
			 1997 42 58 
			 1998 43 57 
			 1999 43 57 
			 2000 43 57 
			 2001 43 57 
			 2002 44 56 
			 2003 44 56 
			 2004 46 54 
			 2005 47 53 
			 2006 49 51 
			  Notes:  1. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset.  2. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. Individual patients may have more than one diagnosis in a year.  3. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data.  4. Data are not yet available for 2007. . Data are collected by calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of positive chlamydia screens by sex, NSCP, 2003-07 
			   Unknown/Not specified  Male  Female  Total 
			 2003-04 0 157 1,599 1,756 
			 2004-05 0 918 5,866 6,784 
			 2005-06 0 2,023 8,980 11,003 
			 2006-07 20 3,439 12,539 15,998 
			 2007-08(1) 31 4,347 14,166 18,544 
			 All years 51 10,884 43,150 54,085 
			 (1) Data are available for the period 1 April 2007 to 31 December 2007. Data as at 27 February 2008.   Source:  The Health Protection Agency (HPA)—NCSP Core Dataset. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Proportion of males and females who were screened and tested positive and the total number of positive chlamydia screens as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme: 2003-07 
			   Proportion (percentage) positive male  Proportion (percentage) positive female  Total number positive( 1) 
			 2003-04 9 91 1,756 
			 2004-05 14 86 6,784 
			 2005-06 18 82 11,003 
			 2006-07 22 78 15,978 
			 2007-08(2) 23 77 18,513 
			 All years 20 80 54,034 
			 (1) Total number screened excluding screens with sex marked as unknown, unspecified, or missing.  (2) Data are available for the period 1 April 2007 to 31 December 2007. Data as at 27 February 2008.   Notes:  1. The data from the NCSP Core Dataset are for positive chlamydia screens made outside of GUM clinics only and include positive screens made by the Boots pathfinder project.  2. The data available from the NCSP are the number of positive screens made and not the number of patients who tested positive.  3. The data include those aged 13 to 24 only.  4. The NCSP began screening on 1 April 2003.  5. The data are specific to the financial year 1 April to March: 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.  6. The increase in number of positive chlamydia screens each year may also be due to an increase in screening volumes.   Source:  The HPA—NCSP Core Dataset.

Chlamydia: Screening

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of screens for chlamydia undertaken in the most recent year for which figures are available were in  (a) men and  (b) women, broken down by chlamydia screening programme area.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) screens for asymptomatic chlamydia outside of genito-urinary medicine services.
	Table one shows the number of chlamydia screens among those aged 13-24 years broken down by sex and programme area for England, as part of the NCSP for the period 1 April 2006 to 31March 2007. Table two shows the proportion male and female who were screened for chlamydia by programme area, among those aged 13-24 years as part of the NCSP for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.
	
		
			  Table One: Number of screens by sex and NCSP programme area for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 
			  Programme area  Unknown/not specified  Males  Females  Total 
			 Ashfield 0 13 15 28 
			 Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Luton (1)— 453 1,556 (1)— 
			 Berkshire East 0 1,201 1,444 2,645 
			 Birmingham 0 780 5,956 6,736 
			 Bournemouth and Poole (1)— 234 459 (1)— 
			 Bradford and Airedale 0 181 867 1,048 
			 Brent and Harrow 0 500 1,753 2,253 
			 Brighton 0 1,001 4,735 5,736 
			 Buckinghamshire 0 (1)— 11 (1)— 
			 Cambridge and Peterborough 0 458 1,048 1,506 
			 Camden and Islington 0 246 3,158 3,404 
			 Central Lancashire 0 176 1,202 1,378 
			 City and Hackney 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Cornwall 0 2,787 5,289 8,076 
			 Coventry 0 345 1,563 1,908 
			 Cumbria 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Dorset 0 362 232 594 
			 Durham and Teeside 0 3,797 3,335 7,132 
			 East Cheshire 12 536 3,386 3,934 
			 East Kent 0 583 2,617 3,200 
			 East Lancashire 0 105 377 482 
			 East Yorkshire 0 283 474 757 
			 Enfield and Haringey 0 363 1,511 1,874 
			 Greater Manchester 59 1,336 6,530 7,925 
			 Halton, St. Helens and Warrington 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Hampshire 0 2,283 3,508 5,791 
			 Hastings 0 108 424 532 
			 Hounslow 0 58 176 234 
			 Hull 0 633 3,035 3,668 
			 Lambeth and Southwark 0 1,526 7,937 9,463 
			 Leeds 0 1,472 4,037 5,509 
			 Leicester (1)— 44 167 (1)— 
			 Lewisham 0 1,157 5,341 6,498 
			 Liverpool 54 1,646 9,810 11,510 
			 Mid Essex 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Milton Keynes 0 532 2,261 2,793 
			 Norfolk and Waveney 0 552 1,987 2,539 
			 North Staffordshire 0 647 3,589 4,236 
			 Northern Lincolnshire 0 42 90 132 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 0 446 759 1,205 
			 Nottingham 0 822 5,953 6,775 
			 Plymouth 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Portsmouth 0 560 4,237 4,797 
			 Sheffield 0 802 4,234 5,036 
			 South East Essex 0 266 2,137 2,403 
			 South Staffordshire 0 43 306 349 
			 Southampton 0 103 289 392 
			 Suffolk 0 160 1,033 1,193 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Wakefield District and Dewsbury, Batley 0 46 290 336 
			 West Cheshire 0 137 1,640 1,777 
			 West Kent (1)— 307 1,472 (1)— 
			 West Sussex (1)— 17 26 (1)— 
			 Wirral 14 726 4,516 5,256 
			 York 0 1,064 2,508 3,572 
			 Boots Pathfinder 0 2,572 9,157 11,729 
			 Total 146 34,515 128,446 163,107 
			 (1) Cell sizes between 1 and 4 (and totals that would allow for them to be deduced) have been masked to prevent deductive disclosure in accordance with ONS guidelines.  Note: Data as at February 2008.  Source:  Health Protection Agency (HPA)—NCSP. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table Two: Proportion male and female screened for chlamydia by NCSP programme area for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 
			  Programme area  Percentage male  Percentage female  Total( 1) 
			 Ashfield 46 54 28 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 23 77 2,009 
			 Berkshire East 45 55 2,645 
			 Birmingham 12 88 6,736 
			 Bournemouth and Poole 34 66 693 
			 Bradford and Airedale 17 83 1,048 
			 Brent and Harrow 22 78 2,253 
			 Brighton 17 83 5,736 
			 Buckinghamshire 21 79 14 
			 Cambridge and Peterborough 30 70 1,506 
			 Camden and Islington 7 93 3,404 
			 Central Lancashire 13 87 1,378 
			 City and Hackney 0 100 (2)— 
			 Cornwall 35 65 8,076 
			 Coventry 18 82 1,908 
			 Cumbria 0 100 (2)— 
			 Dorset 61 39 594 
			 Durham and Teeside 53 47 7,132 
			 East Cheshire 14 86 3,922 
			 East Kent 18 82 3,200 
			 East Lancashire 22 78 482 
			 East Yorkshire 37 63 757 
			 Enfield and Haringey 19 81 1,874 
			 Greater Manchester 17 83 7,866 
			 Halton, St. Helens and Warrington 0 100 (2)— 
			 Hampshire 39 61 5,791 
			 Hastings 20 80 532 
			 Hounslow 25 75 234 
			 Hull 17 83 3,668 
			 Lambeth and Southwark 16 84 9,463 
			 Leeds 27 73 5,509 
			 Leicester 21 79 211 
			 Lewisham 18 82 6,498 
			 Liverpool 14 86 11,456 
			 Mid Essex 0 100 (2)— 
			 Milton Keynes 19 81 2,793 
			 Norfolk and Waveney 22 78 2,539 
			 North Staffordshire 15 85 4,236 
			 Northern Lincolnshire 32 68 132 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 37 63 1,205 
			 Nottingham 12 88 6,775 
			 Plymouth 33 67 (2)— 
			 Portsmouth 12 88 4,797 
			 Sheffield 16 84 5,036 
			 South East Essex 11 89 2,403 
			 South Staffordshire 12 88 349 
			 Southampton 26 74 392 
			 Suffolk 13 87 1,193 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 100 (2)— 
			 Wakefield District and Dewsbury, Batley 14 86 336 
			 West Cheshire 8 92 1,777 
			 West Kent 17 83 1,779 
			 West Sussex 40 60 43 
			 Wirral 14 86 5,242 
			 York 30 70 3,572 
			 Boots Pathfinder 22 78 11,729 
			 Total 21 79 162,961 
			 (1) Total number screened excluding screens with sex marked as unknown and unspecified. (2) Cell sizes between 1 and 4 (and totals that would allow for them to be deduced) have been masked to prevent deductive disclosure in accordance with ONS guidelines.  Notes: 1. Data as of 27 February 2008. 2. The data from the NCSP are for screens outside of GUM clinics only and include screens from the Boots pathfinder project.  3. The data available from the NCSP are the number of screens done and not the number of patients screened. The number of screens is assumed to be a close proxy of the number of people screened.  4. The data only include those aged 13-24 years.  5. The data is for 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 because the NCSP receives data on a quarterly basis and follows the financial year.  6. The data provided are based on NCSP programme areas, not postcode of residence. The programme areas are geographically distinct areas formed by one or more primary care trusts and are responsible for coordinating local screening.  Source:  HPA-NCSP.

Community Hospitals: Closures

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community hospitals in England have  (a) closed and  (b) partly closed since May 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: Figures are not routinely collected. However, since May 2005 we have announced 23 schemes to develop or refurbish local community hospitals and services. These schemes have a total value of£272 million of which £190 million is funded from the community hospitals and services budget. These are in addition to the 158 new primary care and community facilities already delivered through the Local Improvement Finance Trust programme.

Health Services: Overview and Scrutiny Committees

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to allow the representation of district councils on county and unitary health overview and scrutiny committees.

Ann Keen: District councils may participate in health scrutiny in a variety of ways. Although district councils do not have the powers to review and scrutinise health services, there are opportunities for them to become involved in joint committees through co-option and to have the functions delegated to them.
	Joint committees may be established by two or more local authorities (LAs) including two-tier district councils for both a specific scrutiny review, and for on-going scrutiny planning and review.
	County councils may co-opt members of overview and scrutiny committees from district councils to participate as full members of the county overview and scrutiny committee considering health services. Councillors who are members of a district council executive are, by definition, not scrutiny members and therefore cannot be co-opted onto the county council health overview and scrutiny committee, nor can district councillors who are not members of an overview and scrutiny committee. Councillors who fall into these categories and who may have a role to play in a scrutiny process may participate in other ways, for example by providing information to the committee or attending as an expert witness.
	A LA may also arrange for its overview and scrutiny functions to be undertaken by a committee from another LA. The regulations enable the delegation of scrutiny functions between LAs including from county council to district council overview and scrutiny committees. When delegation takes place, the full powers of overview and scrutiny of health services are given to the delegated committee but only in relation to the specific delegated function.
	Further information and guidance is provided in "Overview and Scrutiny of Health Guidance—July 2003, copies of the guidance are available in the Library.

Health Services: Regulation

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider introducing a requirement for professional applicants to council of professional health regulatory bodies to demonstrate a capacity to put express in plain English technical information for use by the public.

Ben Bradshaw: The councils of professional health regulatory bodies will of course want to ensure that technical information that is written for public consumption is clear and understandable. However, the approach to achieving this is a matter for the regulators themselves.

Health Services: West Sussex

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 339W, on health services: West Sussex, if he will define his use of the term viable option.

Dawn Primarolo: As stated in the answer I gave the hon. Member on 29 January 2008, proposals for the reconfiguration of services are a matter for the national health service locally, working in conjunction with clinicians, patients and other stakeholders.
	The hon. Member may therefore wish to raise this issue further with either the chief executive of West Sussex primary care trust, or the chief executive of South East Coast strategic health authority.

Meat: Labelling

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to amend guidance on country of origin meat labelling.

Dawn Primarolo: Beef, veal and poultry meat (imported from outside the European Commission) must provide mandatory origin labelling. The Food Standards Agency has issued best practise guidance on the general provision of origin information that also covers other meats. This guidance is currently under revision, however, no changes are envisaged for the labelling of meat.

NHS Direct

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that NHS Direct remains a nurse-led organisation.

Ben Bradshaw: Nurses carry out an important role in NHS Direct in assessing patient's needs and, where appropriate, advising on self-care. Trained health advisors also have a role to play carrying out an initial assessment of patients' needs and referring callers to nurse colleagues, other health services or giving out health information. It is important that NHS Direct has the right skill-mix to deal with a variety of health calls and so nurses will continue to be a crucial part of the organisation.

NHS: Belgium

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) functions and  (b) objectives are of the NHS office in Brussels; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The NHS European office is part of the NHS confederation, more information about its functions and objectives can be found at the NHS European offices website at:
	www.nhsconfed.org/euunit/Index.cfm

NHS: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS programme budgeting and marginal analysis data will be made publicly available.

Ben Bradshaw: Programme budgeting expenditure data for the financial years 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are publicly available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Financeandplanning/Programmebudgeting/DH_075743.
	The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has recently funded research into the practicalities of undertaking marginal analysis at three national health service sites. This work will inform how both the NHS Institute and the Department advises NHS organisations in their use of Programme Budgeting. The results of this work are currently being written up, with publication in a peer-reviewed journal planned for summer 2008.
	To comply with the National Statistics Code of Practice and the Protocol on Data Access and Confidentiality, the Programme Budgeting Atlas, which, is hosted by the National Centre for Health Outcomes Development is not publicly available. Some of the statistics contained within the atlases are based on very small numbers of events and may, therefore, have the potential to identify individuals.

Obesity

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population of  (a) England and (b) Sunderland that is clinically obese.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available in the exact format requested.
	Information on the proportion of adults aged over 16 years in England that are obese, broken down by Government Office Region and strategic health authority is collected in the Health Survey for England.
	This information can be found in Health Survey for England 2006: Volume 1 'Cardiovascular disease and risk factors in adults' Tables 5.2 and 5.3 on pages 98 and 99 which was published on 31January 2008. This publication is available in the Library.
	Estimated prevalence of obesity among adults aged 16 and over, along with associated confidence intervals for Sunderland local authority are presented in Table one. These estimates are taken from Model-Based Estimates of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours, and are for combined years 2003-05. The proportion of people who are obese in Sunderland was found to be statistically significantly higher than the national estimate.
	
		
			  Model-Based estimates of obesity prevalence, Sunderland local authority 2003-05 
			   Percentages 
			 Estimated prevalence of obesity 26.9 
			 95 per cent. lower confidence interval 24.4 
			 95 per cent. upper confidence interval 29.7 
			  Note: The national estimate is derived directly from the Health Surveys for England 2003-05 (with associated confidence intervals) and therefore is not a model-based estimate.  Source: Model-Based Estimates of Healthy Lifestyles Behaviours, 2003-05. Neighbourhood Statistics, Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Obesity: Standards

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1055W, on obesity, what baseline figure has been set for his Department's public service agreement target to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

Dawn Primarolo: As part of the public service agreement (PSA) for child health and well-being, the Government aim to reduce the rate of increase in obesity in children under 11-years-old over the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. Health Survey for England data from 1995 to 2006 has been used to calculate a linear trend for obesity in children under 11. This linear trend suggests that childhood obesity is growing at 0.5 per cent. points per year and this growth rate has been used to forecast a baseline trajectory over the period, with child obesity increasing from 16.1 per cent. in 2006 (latest year of actual data) to 18.7 per cent. in 2011. Under the PSA the Government aim to reduce the rate of growth against this baseline trajectory.

Patient Outcome and Death: "Trauma: Who Cares?"

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take in response to the second report of the National Confidential Inquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, Trauma, Who Cares?; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: In the NHS Next Stage Review, clinicians in nine strategic health authorities are discussing the best models of care, including acute care, which should lead to improved trauma services.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) 40 to 49,  (b) 50 to 59,  (c) 60 to 69,  (d) 70 to 79 and  (e) 80 years and above, were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in each of the last five years, broken down by disease.

Dawn Primarolo: Data by age group are only collected for selected sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in certain age range formats which are 35 to 44, 45 to 64 and over 65. The number of STIs diagnosed in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics, within these age ranges broken down by infection from 2002 to 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Sexually transmitted infection  Age group  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Uncomplicated chlamydial infection 35 to 44 5,559 5,828 5,962 6,170 6,501 
			  45 to 64 1,276 1,359 1,592 1,782 1,933 
			  over 65 59 80 72 65 81 
			
			 Uncomplicated gonorrhoea 35 to 44 3,506 3,441 3,049 2,745 2,597 
			  45 to 64 1,145 1,182 1,108 1,005 1,102 
			  over 65 53 52 62 42 59 
			
			 Anogenital herpes simplex—first attack 35 to 44 2,937 2,917 2,838 2,742 3,071 
			  45 to 64 1,379 1,294 1,363 1,412 1,563 
			  over 65 75 69 86 84 83 
			
			 Anogenital warts—first attack 35 to 44 7,219 7,331 7,649 7,409 7,667 
			  45 to 64 2,800 3,037 3,155 3,220 3,425 
			  over 65 185 191 214 190 217 
			
			 Primary and secondary infectious syphilis 35 to 44 393 493 709 806 868 
			  45 to 64 172 237 335 443 411 
			  over 65 12 14 17 21 37 
			  Notes: 1. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset. 2. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. Individual patients may have more than one diagnosis in a year. 3. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data. 4. Data is not yet available for 2007. 5. Aggregated data are collected in a predefined format and age group can only be presented in the above categories. 6. Data by age group are only collected for selected STIs (uncomplicated chlamydial infection, uncomplicated gonorrhoea, anogenital herpes simplex—first attack, anogenital warts—first attack and primary and secondary infectious syphilis).  Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 returns

Surgery: Private Sector

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many surgical procedures have been carried out in non-NHS hospitals per annum at a cost to the public purse since 2000; and of these, how many resulted in episodes of  (a) MRSA,  (b) Clostridium difficile and  (c) norovirus.

Ben Bradshaw: The Finance, Performance and Operations (FPO) Directorate collects data on the independent sector (IS) programme and the IS extended choice network (IS ECN). We are unable to comment on other non-NHS hospitals.
	Since the first IS treatment centres opened in 2003 a total of 250,345 elective procedures have been carried out through Wave 1 and Phase 2. In addition to this, 8,086 elective procedures have been carried out in the IS ECN programme to date, which started in January 2007.
	For Wave 1, the FPO does not collect infection data through key performance indicators (KPIs).
	Since August 2007 meticillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates for Phase 2 have been collected through three KPIs for MRSA (within 48 hours), MRSA (after 48 hours) and MRSA (repeat cultures). From August 2007 to February 2008 a rate of 0 per cent. for all MRSA KPIs is recorded.

Children: Maintenance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of child support cases had maintenance outstanding for periods of  (a) zero to six weeks,  (b) six to 12 weeks,  (c) 12 weeks to six months,  (d) six to nine months,  (d ) nine to 12 months and  (e ) over 12 months in each of the last 10 years; and how many and what proportion of these received payments from the Child Support Agency outside normal maintenance payments, broken down by type of payment;
	(2)  how much was paid by the Child Support Agency to families outside maintenance payments in each of the last 10 years, broken down by type of payment.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 April 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	; and
	.
	In order to answer this question we have interpreted the proportion of cases with maintenance outstanding as the proportion of current cases with debt.
	Information on the proportion of cases categorised by the age of the outstanding debt and held on the current computer system (CS2) is provided in the attached Table 1. This analysis can not be carried out on the information we hold on cases prior to February 2007, therefore the analysis is based on the latest information available at December 2007. It is also not possible to perform this analysis for cases maintained on the old computer system (CSCS). As at December 2007, 48 per cent of current cases on the CSCS system have debt outstanding.
	The Child Support Agency operates a discretionary, non-statutory scheme providing financial redress for maladministration. Payments may be made to redress any financial losses incurred and can include consolatory payments made by way of an apology for delay, inconvenience, worry and distress caused.
	It is not possible to include the information we hold on these payments in the analysis of the outstanding debt set out in Table 1. Therefore such information as is available on these payments has been provided separately in the attached Table 2.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of current cases with debt on CS2 by age of oldest debt, December 2007 
			  Age of debt  Proportion (percentage) of cases on CS2 with debt. 
			 0 to 3 months 8 
			 3 to 6 months 5 
			 6 to 9 months 6 
			 9 to 12 months 5 
			 Over 12 months 45 
			 Unknown 4 
			  Notes:  1. Includes debt on cases maintained on CS2 only.  2. Only debt accrued while the case has been maintained on CS2 can be aged. Unknown age band includes cases where debt has migrated from the CSCS computer system.  3. Percentages rounded to nearest whole per cent.  4. The specific weekly age bands requested are not available. Monthly time bands available in the existing management information are instead provided. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number and value of payments made by Child Support Agency for financial loss, compensation for delay and consolatory payments 
			   Actual financial loss  Compensation delay  Consolatory 
			   Number of  payments  authorised  Total value of  payments (£ million)  Number of  payments authorised  Total value of  payments (£ million)  Number of payments  authorised  Total value of payments (£ million) 
			 1998-99 4,300 3.3 1,100 0.3 4,200 0.6 
			 1999-2000 3,700 1.8 700 0.3 4,500 0.5 
			 2000-01 5,200 1.9 800 0.2 6,600 0.7 
			 2001-02 6,300 1.6 900 0.2 8,300 0.7 
			 2002-03 5,900 1.3 700 0.2 8,400 0.7 
			 2003-04 4,900 1.4 800 0.1 5,600 0.4 
			 2004-05 7,100 2.4 1,700 0.1 9,000 0.6 
			 2005-06 5,900 3.1 2,100 0.2 9,200 0.6 
			 2006-07 4,700 2.5 1,900 0.4 9,200 0.8 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to payments made. It is not possible to identify how many of the payments authorised are for families. Some payments may be for non-resident parents. 2. Number of authorised payments rounded to nearest 100. Value of payments rounded to nearest £1,000. 3. Figures to 2005-06 show payments awarded in each year for Actual Financial Loss, Compensation for Delay and Consolatory Payments. These will include timing differences when reconciling to the Annual Report & Accounts. Figures for 2006/7 are actual payments and are aligned with the Annual Report.

Departmental Data Protection

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1349W, on departmental data protection, in what circumstances transfers of data take place under statutory gateways; which information transfers fall  (a) within and  (b) outside the statutory gateway; and if he will place in the Library copies of the memorandums of understanding, partnership agreements and codes of practice which set out the relationship between it and HM Revenue and Customs.

Stephen Timms: Transfers of personal data in bulk between the Department for Work and Pensions and other departments or organisations take place only under and in compliance with the relevant statutory gateways, for example those contained in sections 121E to 123 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.
	In addition the Department on occasions discloses personal data on a case-by-case basis relying on common law powers, for example to the police for the prevention and detection of crime.
	All bulk transfers and individual disclosures of personal data are made in accordance with the Data Protection Act and within the terms of the Department's formal registration under the Act.
	The following copies of agreements between the Department and HM Revenue and Customs have been placed in the Library:
	1. Working Level Agreement between the relevant Government Departments involved in the administration and distribution of Healthy Start vouchers to eligible recipients in the United Kingdom.
	2. Service Level Agreement for the Job Outcome Targets (JOT) project.
	3. Partnership Agreement for the referral and investigation of suspected benefit and tax credit fraud cases.

Departmental Leaflets

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department,  (a) pensions-related,  (b) retirement benefit and  (c) other benefit-related leaflets in each of the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions began a complete review of all its public facing leaflets during 2006. This initiative has reduced the number of leaflets published by the Department from 178 in June 2006 to just 66 today.
	The Department also procured, from July 2007, a single supplier for its print and associated services which, amongst other things, will enable us to capture the costs of producing material for the public in the future.
	The review of all the Department's leaflets, coupled with the change of supplier means that identifying and obtaining the costs of all the material published prior to July 2007 could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working days were lost by his Department due to stress-related illness in each of the last 24 months.

Anne McGuire: DWP, in common with other Government Departments, records sickness absences against a list of standard definitions. Stress related absences are recorded under the single category of "depression, anxiety and other mental health issues".
	The following table shows the number of working days lost due to depression, anxiety and other mental health issues in each month since April 2007, as recorded on the Department's personnel computer system.
	Information prior to April 2007 is held on a number of old systems. The cost of extracting this information, in the format requested, from these systems, for the period prior to April 2007, would be at a disproportionate cost.
	The Department is committed to reducing sickness absences caused by depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. Our approach is to support employees, for example by providing access to professional stress counselling, and to use qualified occupational health advice to help them return to work when they do take sickness absence.
	
		
			   Working days lost (FTE)  Total working days available (FTE)  Working days lost as percentage of total working days available 
			 February 2008 16,824 1,949,176 0.86 
			 January 2008 18,201 2,043,942 0.89 
			 December 2007 16,565 1,684,523 0.98 
			 November 2007 21,698 2,063,980 1.05 
			 October 2007 22,618 2,160,959 1.05 
			 September 2007 19,281 1,892,521 1.02 
			 August 2007 22,341 2,089,811 1.07 
			 July 2007 21,976 2,096,551 1.05 
			 June 2007 20,539 2,010,288 1.02 
			 May 2007 22,492 1,932,301 1.16 
			 April 2007 21,237 1,751,189 1.21

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department and its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies on translation services from English into  (a) Welsh and  (b) other languages in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 31 March 2008
	I have provided the availability and the range of options for translation services in DWP and the following table shows spend for the areas where details are available.
	Please note, for the earlier years (2003-04, 2004-05) spend data is not fully available so I have provided all the relevant information available.
	DWP provides a wide range of translation services including the translation of leaflets into a range of ethnic languages and all publications for DWP's customers must be available in Welsh. DWP also translates individual and ad hoc items such as letters and guidance for forms including back translating of all claim forms.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1) 
			 Translating English to Welsh 24,973 30,885 20,766 50,759 31,535 
			 Translating English to other languages n/a n/a 120,720 170,055 9,163 
			 (1 )Recorded to date

Discrimination

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for discrimination, based on  (a) sex,  (b) race and  (c) sexual orientation, were brought by members of his Department and settled (i) in and (ii) out of court in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: From January 2003 to date, excluding a large block of cases challenging the Department's then dress code which were brought in 2003. The Department has been the respondent in 56 cases alleging race discrimination, 79 cases alleging sex discrimination and seven cases alleging discrimination relating to sexual orientation.
	31 of these cases were settled; 14 of which related to sex discrimination, 13 related to race discrimination and four related to discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.
	The available statistics do not show at which point in a case the settlement took place.

Employment: Tribunals

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment tribunals with  (a) three members,  (b) two members and  (c) one member adjudicating sat in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The precise information on the number of panel members is not held centrally. To gather the required information would require the development of a new report, to do so would be of disproportionate cost.
	However, hearings are normally conducted by panels comprising three members—one is a member of the judiciary and the other two are lay members. Available data of the number of session days for panel members is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Year (April to March)  Total session days for the judiciary  Total session days for lay members 
			 2004-05 29,300 — 
			 2005-06 29,800 — 
			 2006-07 29,800 — 
			 2007-08(1) 25,900 34,100 
			 (1) April 2007 to January 2008. 
		
	
	To obtain figures for lay members not centrally held until 2007 would be at a disproportionate cost.
	Figures for the number of days of single judge hearings have been collected since February 2007. The latest available figure is 8,100 sit alone days compared with 25,900 session days for the period April 2007 to March 2008 (or 31 per cent. of the total).

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  in how many cases overpayments of benefit have been reclaimed following the death of a claimant where such repayments were not mandatory under social security legislation in each of the last five years, broken down by benefit type;
	(2)  in how many cases his Department has not pursued requests for repayment for overpayments following the death of a claimant in circumstances where the repayment was challenged by family members and where the repayment was not mandatory under social security legislation in each of the last five years;
	(3)  in how many cases where his Department requested repayments of overpayments following the death of a claimant, and where such repayments were not mandatory under social security legislation, such requests were not challenged by family members in each of the last five years;
	(4)  what the value was of repayments of overpayments requested by his Department following the death of a claimant, in circumstances where such repayments were not mandatory under social security legislation and where the family members of the deceased claimants challenged the requests and did not subsequently make the repayments;
	(5)  what the value was of repayments of overpayments of benefits following the death of a claimant, where such repayments were not mandatory under social security legislation in each of the last five years, broken down by benefit type.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 31 March 2008
	Unfortunately, through no fault of any individual, overpayments of benefit can arise following the death of a benefit recipient. Such overpayments normally arise as a result of the Department being notified of the death too late to stop an automated payment being made into the deceased's account.
	We are doing all we can to improve the current process. We are in the process of preparing to receive electronic notifications of death from the Office of National Statistics on a daily basis. This will assist in enabling a prompt cessation of payments following death and reduce the number of these overpayments occurring.
	The Department has a duty to seek recovery of all overpaid funds where it is reasonable and cost effective to do so. However, we seek to do this as sensitively as possible, taking account of the fact that this will be a stressful time, particularly if the person contacted is a close friend or family member. Overpayments are written off if the deceased has no estate or there are insufficient funds in the estate.
	The following table details how many of these overpayments have been recovered, and their value. We have only been collecting this information since 2005.
	The other information requested is not available.
	
		
			  DPAD recoveries on debt manager, OpRec and ORCS—value of recoveries 
			  £ 
			   2005-06( 1)  2006-07  2007-08( 2)  Total 
			 Attendance Allowance 2,978,730 4,707,183 7,267,515 14,953,428 
			 Carers Allowances 13,468 3,828 19,898 37,194 
			 Constant Attendance Allowance 0 153 1,344 1,497 
			 Disability Living Allowance - Care / Mob 1,734,359 1,557,216 2,254,046 5,545,621 
			 Incapacity Benefits 122,389 302,169 431,798 856,357 
			 Income Support 49,887 47,923 87,662 185,471 
			 Invalid Care Allowances 84,926.36 609 0 85,536 
			 Industrial Injuries Benefits 129,433 83,822 24,761 238,016 
			 Industrial Death Benefits 52,661 28,033 35,107 115,800 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits 819 148,451 312,632 461,903 
			 Invalidity Benefit 6,357 1,626 3,675 11,658 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 406 235 146 787 
			 Mobility Allowance 5,269 2,447 506 8,222 
			 Pension Credit 1,519,458 3,677,487 4,555,584 9,752,530 
			 Retirement/State Pensions 13,793,186 27,372,631 30,201,062 71,366,878 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 19,419 36,254 46,959 102,632 
			 Widows Benefits Widows Pension 11,467.42 12,020 8,020 31,507 
			 Widows Pension 0 3,671 11,122 14,793 
			 Other 7,089 17,647 49,474 74,211 
			 Total 20,529,323 38,003,406 45,311,310 103,844,039 
			 (1) Data for 2005-06 is for the period June 2005 to March 2006 only. (2) Date for 2007-08 is up to 29 March 2008. 
		
	
	
		
			  DPAD recoveries on debt manager, OpRec and ORCS—volumes of router accounts by benefit 
			  £ 
			   2005-06( 1)  2006-07  2007-08( 2)  Total 
			 Attendance Allowance 30,665 47,757 75,676 154,098 
			 Carers Allowances 252 39 212 503 
			 Constant Attendance Allowance 0 2 19 21 
			 Disability Living Allowances 13,015 10,987 16,232 40,234 
			 Incapacity Benefits 975 2,226 3,145 6,346 
			 Income Support 337 289 523 1,149 
			 Invalid Care Allowance 3,123 5 0 3,128 
			 Industrial Injuries Benefits 1,180 670 121 1,971 
			 Industrial Death Benefits 372 194 279 845 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits 6 1,388 2,818 4,212 
			 Invalidity Benefit 51 21 29 101 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 4 3 2 9 
			 Mobility Allowances 176 49 36 261 
			 Pension Credit 16,884 40,799 54,292 111,975 
			 Retirement/State Pensions 81,948 164,060 180,956 426,964 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 124 300 395 819 
			 Widows Benefits 57 47 27 131 
			 Widows Pension 0 23 53 76 
			 Other 109 562 2,794 3,465 
			 Total 149,278 269,421 337,609 756,308 
			 (1) Data for 2005-06 is for the period June 2005 to March 2006 only. (2 )Date for 2007-08 is up to 29 March 2008.

Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of calls made to  (a) the Pension Service,  (b) the Disability and Carers Service,  (c) the Benefit Enquiry Line and  (d) the Child Support Agency was in each year for which records are held.

Anne McGuire: The information available is provided in the following tables. All figures are in minutes/seconds unless otherwise stated.
	
		
			  Child Support Agency( 1) 
			  Month  Average speed to answer  Average length of call 
			 April 2005 01:24 03:08 
			 May 2005 01:05 03:03 
			 June 2005 01:00 03:04 
			 July 2005 00:54 03:04 
			 August 2005 01:10 03:09 
			 September 2005 01:20 03:10 
			 October 2005 01:10 03:23 
			 November 2005 00:52 03:17 
			 December 2005 00:34 03:10 
			 January 2006 00:46 03:14 
			 February 2006 00:54 03:17 
			 March 2006 00:39 03:09 
			 April 2006 00:25 03:30 
			 May 2006 00:26 03:25 
			 June 2006 00:21 03:35 
			 July 2006 00:25 03:38 
			 August 2006 00:27 03:39 
			 September 2006 00:45 03:42 
			 October 2006 00:38 03:40 
			 November 2006 00:18 03:41 
			 December 2006 00:18 03:26 
			 January 2007 00:23 03:28 
			 February 2007 00:15 03:41 
			 March 2007 00:20 03:19 
			 April 2007 00:20 03:22 
			 May 2007 00:19 03:19 
			 June 2007 00:23 03:22 
			 July 2007 00:24 03:24 
			 August 2007 00:20 03:26 
			 September 2007 00:18 03:22 
			 October 2007 00:18 03:27 
			 November 2007 00:19 03:33 
			 December 2007 00:19 03:24 
			 January 2008 00:19 03:27 
			 February 2008 00:19 03:32 
			 March 2008 00:19 03:21 
			 (1)There is no comprehensive data prior to April 202005. Information is the total of CSCS and CS2 calls. 
		
	
	
		
			  The Pension Service 
			  Month  Average speed to answer  Average length of call 
			 October 2006 00:14 06:02 
			 November 2006 00:16 05:56 
			 December 2006 00:19 06:11 
			 January 2007 00:24 06:16 
			 February 2007 00:35 06:12 
			 March 2007 00:38 06:11 
			 April 2007 00:43 05:53 
			 May 2007 00:45 06:07 
			 June 2007 01:14 06:26 
			 July 2007 01:14 06:50 
			 August 2007 01:05 06:51 
			 September 2007 00:49 06:56 
			 October 2007 00:33 06:34 
			 November 2007 00:30 06:46 
			 December 2007 00:20 06:35 
			 January 2008 00:40 06:51 
			 February 2008 00:39 06:39 
		
	
	
		
			  Benefit Enquiry Line( 1) 
			  Month  Average speed to answer  Average length of call 
			 April 2000 — 03:21 
			 May 2000 — 03:17 
			 June 2000 — 03:09 
			 July 2000 — 03:06 
			 August 2000 — 03:02 
			 September 2000 — 02:56 
			 October 2000 — 02:44 
			 November 2000 — 03:00 
			 December 2000 — 02:42 
			 January 2001 — 02:53 
			 February 2001 — 02:50 
			 March 2001 — 02:50 
			 April 2001 — 02:45 
			 May 2001 — 02:46 
			 June 2001 — 02:45 
			 July 2001 — 02:46 
			 August 2001 — 02:52 
			 September 2001 — 02:48 
			 October 2001 — 02:46 
			 November 2001 — 02:40 
			 December 2001 — 02:40 
			 January 2002 — 02:38 
			 February 2002 — 02:50 
			 March 2002 — 02:59 
			 April 2002 — 02:53 
			 May 2002 — 02:50 
			 June 2002 — 02:57 
			 July 2002 — 03:00 
			 August 2002 — 02:56 
			 September 2002 — 02:57 
			 October 2002 — 02:57 
			 November 2002 — 03:05 
			 December 2002 — 02:45 
			 January 2003 — 02:52 
			 February 2003 — 02:55 
			 March 2003 — 02:42 
			 April 2003 — 02:35 
			 May 2003 — 02:43 
			 June 2003 — 02:42 
			 July 2003 — 02:42 
			 August 2003 — 02:42 
			 September 2003 — 02:42 
			 October 2003 — 02:50 
			 November 2003 — 02:54 
			 December 2003 — 02:51 
			 January 2004 — 02:58 
			 February 2004 — 02:50 
			 March 2004 — 02:48 
			 April 2004 02:02 02:48 
			 May 2004 01:39 02:44 
			 June 2004 01:34 02:39 
			 July 2004 02:50 02:47 
			 August 2004 01:40 02:44 
			 September 2004 00:59 02:44 
			 October 2004 01:24 02:49 
			 November 2004 01:54 02:52 
			 December 2004 01:15 02:46 
			 January 2005 02:00 02:53 
			 February 2005 02:22 02:52 
			 March 2005 02:37 02:54 
			 April 2005 02:09 02:31 
			 May 2005 02:38 02:34 
			 June 2005 02:51 03:01 
			 July 2005 02:47 03:01 
			 August 2005 02:12 03:01 
			 September 2005 03:00 02:52 
			 October 2005 03:10 02:58 
			 November 2005 01:26 02:48 
			 December 2005 01:22 02:44 
			 January 2006 01:39 02:53 
			 February 2006 01:21 02:52 
			 March 2006 01:18 02:54 
			 April 2006 01:46 02:31 
			 May 2006 00:46 02:34 
			 June 2006 00:16 03:01 
			 July 2006 00:21 03:01 
			 August 2006 00:31 03:01 
			 September 2006 00:31 02:52 
			 October 2006 00:29 02:58 
			 November 2006 00:14 02:48 
			 December 2006 00:14 02:44 
			 January 2007 00:43 02:50 
			 February 2007 00:42 02:51 
			 March 2007 00:35 02:49 
			 April 2007 00:47 02:50 
			 May 2007 00:44 02:49 
			 June 2007 00:35 02:48 
			 July 2007 00:43 02:50 
			 August 2007 00:52 02:54 
			 September 2007 00:44 02:53 
			 October 2007 00:37 02:53 
			 November 2007 00:31 02:52 
			 December 2007 00:36 02:43 
			 January 2008 00:46 02:52 
			 February 2008 01:08 02:54 
			 March 2008 01:04 02:49 
			 (1)Average call duration data not available prior 2000. Average speed to answer data not available prior April 2004 
		
	
	
		
			  DLA/AA Helpline( 1) 
			  Month  Average speed to answer  Average length of call 
			 April 2000 — 02:59 
			 May 2000 — 03:00 
			 June 2000 — 03:01 
			 July 2000 — 03:03 
			 August 2000 — 03:05 
			 September 2000 — 02:58 
			 October 2000 — 03:00 
			 November 2000 — 03:00 
			 December 2000 — 02:58 
			 January 2001 — 02:58 
			 February 2001 — 02:55 
			 March 2001 — 02:54 
			 April 2001 _ 02:52 
			 May 2001 _ 02:51 
			 June 2001 — 02:49 
			 July 2001 — 02:50 
			 August 2001 — 02:52 
			 September 2001 — 02:50 
			 October 2001 — 02:54 
			 November 2001 — 02:56 
			 December 2001 — 02:54 
			 January 2002 — 02:57 
			 February 2002 — 02:58 
			 March 2002 — 02:54 
			 April 2002 — 02:55 
			 May 2002 — 02:55 
			 June 2002 — 02:57 
			 July 2002 — 03:00 
			 August 2002 — 03:01 
			 September 2002 — 03:02 
			 October 2002 — 03:03 
			 November 2002 — 03:03 
			 December 2002 — 02:56 
			 January 2003 — 02:51 
			 February 2003 — 03:40 
			 March 2003 — 03:70 
			 April 2003 — 03:01 
			 May 2003 — 02:58 
			 June 2003 — 02:52 
			 July 2003 — 02:57 
			 August 2003 — 03:06 
			 September 2003 — 02:55 
			 October 2003 — 03:00 
			 November 2003 — 03:04 
			 December 2003 — 02:52 
			 January 2004 — 02:53 
			 February 2004 — 02:51 
			 March 2004 — 02:40 
			 April 2004 — 02:42 
			 May 2004 — 02:49 
			 June 2004 — 02:42 
			 July 2004 — 02:52 
			 August 2004 — 02:54 
			 September 2004 — 02:47 
			 October 2004 — 02:45 
			 November 2004 — 02:44 
			 December 2004 — 02:49 
			 January 2005 — 02:51 
			 February 2005 — 02:58 
			 March 2005 — 02:58 
			 April 2005 00:43 02:45 
			 May 2005 00:51 02:45 
			 June 2005 00:34 02:48 
			 July 2005 00:31 02:51 
			 August 2005 01:27 02:49 
			 September 2005 01:22 02:54 
			 October 2005 01:29 02:58 
			 November 2005 01:41 03:00 
			 December 2005 01:53 02:54 
			 January 2006 01:26 02:49 
			 February 2006 01:55 02:54 
			 March 2006 02:39 02:57 
			 April 2006 01:55 03:00 
			 May 2006 01:26 02:54 
			 June 2006 01:31 02:54 
			 July 2006 01:30 02:55 
			 August 2006 01:29 02:55 
			 September 2006 01:23 02:57 
			 October 2006 01:13 02:57 
			 November 2006 01:07 02:57 
			 December 2006 01:11 02:54 
			 January 2007 01:19 02:43 
			 February 2007 01:12 02:57 
			 March 2007 01:10 02:48 
			 April 2007 01:23 02:54 
			 May 2007 01:20 02:55 
			 June 2007 01:20 02:54 
			 July 2007 01:27 02:56 
			 August 2007 01:34 02:57 
			 September 2007 01:34 02:55 
			 October 2007 01:18 02:55 
			 November 2007 01:25 02:52 
			 December 2007 01:11 02:49 
			 January 2008 01:35 02:52 
			 February 2008 01:36 03:48 
			 March 2008 01:35 03:06 
			 (1)Average call duration data not available prior 2000. Average speed to answer data not available prior April 2005.

Unemployment

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 66-7W, on unemployment, what the evidential basis was for the Secretary of State's Answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 5, on child poverty, that the UK had been lagging below the average in Europe regarding the proportion of children living in workless households but was now above the average; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 7 February 2008
	The evidential basis for Secretary of State's answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 5, about the UK's relative improvement on child poverty compared to other European countries were the European Community Household Panel Survey (for 1997 data) and the EU Survey of Income and Living Conditions (for 2005 data).
	In 1997, the UK had the highest child poverty rate in Europe. The UK's child poverty rate was 27 per cent. in 1997, compared to an EU average (EU-15) of 19 per cent. The 2005 data shows that child poverty was 22 per cent. in the UK, approaching the EU average (EU-25) of 19 per cent. Due to the change in data sources data from 1997 and 2005 are not directly comparable.
	This is different from the data on children in workless households which is produced from the EU Labour Force Survey.

Burglary: Prosecutions

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of recorded burglaries resulted in a  (a) prosecution and  (b) conviction in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: Information on number of offences of burglary recorded by the police is provided in table 1 as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences of total burglary recorded by the police, 1997 to 2006-07 
			   Number of offences 
			 1997 1,015,075 
			 1997-98 988,432 
			 1998-99 953,184 
			 1999-2000 906,468 
			 2000-01 836,027 
			 2001-02(1) 878,509 
			 2002-03 890,099 
			 2003-04 820,013 
			 2004-05 680,358 
			 2005-06 645,068 
			 2006-07 622,044 
			 (1) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002. Figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.  Source: Home Office recorded crime statistics. 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty at all courts for burglary for the years 1997 to 2006.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for burglary, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006( 1, 2) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 1997 49,530 31,703 
			 1998 48,114 30,769 
			 1999 46,141 29,261 
			 2000 42,406 26,222 
			 2001 41,593 24,802 
			 2002 43,648 26,691 
			 2003 41,281 25,726 
			 2004 35,372 24,252 
			 2005 31,805 22,951 
			 2006 30,637 22,955 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Sources: Court Proceedings Database. Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	Recorded crime and court proceedings statistics are from two different databases and recorded in quite different ways. Recorded crime data are provided on a financial year basis and counts offences whereas court proceedings data are on a calendar year basis and count offenders. Therefore, these two separate data-sets are not directly comparable.
	The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Convictions: Pupils

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children under 16 years of age received  (a) a criminal conviction and  (b) a criminal conviction for an offence committed on school property in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: Data showing the number of defendants aged 10 to 15 who received a conviction for all offences in England and Wales from 1997 to 2006 are in the following table.
	The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	My Department holds information on defendants proceeded against and found guilty of criminal offences in England and Wales. This data includes information on the age and sex of the defendants, the court where proceedings took place as well as the outcome for specific offences including sentencing information. The court proceedings database does not hold information on the individual circumstances of offences beyond that described in the statute for which prosecutions are brought. For example the Ministry of Justice cannot separately identify offences committed on school property from offences committed elsewhere.
	
		
			  Number of defendants aged 10 to 15 found guilty for all offences, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006( 1, 2) 
			   Found guilty 
			 1997 24,748 
			 1998 28,266 
			 1999 31,428 
			 2000 33,010 
			 2001 34,808 
			 2002 34,123 
			 2003 33,484 
			 2004 35,656 
			 2005 37,121 
			 2006 37,300 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Coroners Bill (Draft)

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reason for the time taken to introduce the Coroners Bill to Parliament is; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government are committed to reforming the coroner service for England and Wales, and to making non legislative improvements ahead of a Coroners Bill. There was no space for the Coroners Bill in this Session's busy legislative programme but the firm intention remains to introduce a Bill as soon as time allows. Measures to be introduced ahead of legislation include strengthening Rule 43 of the Coroners Rules 1984 to help coroners to prevent future deaths, revising the Charter for the Bereaved for a reformed service, and working with the Press Complaints Commission to establish whether their code of practice for editors could be refined, in respect of the reporting of inquests, for the benefit of bereaved families.

Coroners: Mesothelioma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the procedures used in coroners' inquests following a death from mesothelioma in the last 12 months

Bridget Prentice: In February 2007, my Department received the report of the British Lung Foundation on its research in to the investigation of mesothelioma deaths. My officials have met with representatives of the British Lung Foundation to discuss their report, and facilitated meetings between the Foundation and the Coroners Society. Following these meetings, best practice guidance for coroners and clinicians on how deaths from mesothelioma should be dealt with has been published on the Coroners Society website. The needs of the bereaved are integral to our proposals both in regard to longer term reform of the coroners' service. The appointment of a chief coroner and the introduction of national standards of service, which will be enabled by the Coroners Bill, will also address concerns about inconsistencies of practice between coroner areas. We will bring forward legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows, and continue to consult with the British Lung Foundation about those parts of the Bill which effect the investigation of mesothelioma deaths. In February 2008, I attended a parliamentary reception hosted by the British Lung Foundation and I was happy to give a commitment to work with them as the Government develops its policy further in these areas.

Sentencing: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sentences were given to young offenders, broken down by type of offence, in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The available information is contained in the table.
	Statistics for 2007 will be published in the autumn.
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced( 1)  by type of offence and age group, all courts, England and Wales, 1997-2006 
			  Number of persons 
			Year 
			  Age group  Offence group  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  10 to 17( 2) Violence against the person 5,886 5,994 6,005 6,424 6,910 6,870 6,577 6,902 7,444 7,559 
			  Sexual offences 468 468 488 467 510 557 448 587 556 500 
			  Burglary 8,624 8,487 7,766 6,849 6,267 6,418 5,752 5,935 6,045 6,169 
			  Robbery 2,343 2,169 2,039 2,238 2,789 2,804 2,638 2,964 3,089 3,733 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 19,573 21,840 22,627 21,006 20,556 18,436 16,540 16,798 17,061 16,351 
			  Fraud and forgery 806 962 1,078 1,017 1,012 945 810 762 692 601 
			  Criminal damage 2,255 2,290 2,682 2,576 2,897 2,908 2,946 3,234 3,274 3,678 
			  Drug offences 1,845 2,748 3,107 3,739 4,342 4,958 5,144 4,479 4,626 4,460 
			  Other indictable offences 4,131 4,172 4,310 4,388 4,318 4,446 4,272 4,612 4,497 4,134 
			  Indictable motoring offences 370 427 447 556 668 767 817 738 583 525 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 22,031 25,488 26,982 27,728 28,495 28,354 28,746 32,190 33,515 34,020 
			  Summary motoring offences 10,760 11,249 12,629 14,492 16,721 17,085 17,841 16,987 14,821 12,076 
			 
			  18 to 20( 3) Violence against the person 5,789 6,385 6,352 6,393 6,336 6,666 6,521 6,748 6,998 7,457 
			  Sexual offences- 246 292 275 251 - 269 284 273 293 351 360 
			  Burglary 7,098 6,841 6,511 5,761 4,829 4,639 4,096 3,810 3,636 3,723 
			  Robbery 1,267 1,303 1,236 1,266 1,440 1,479 1,317 1,459 1,387 1,642 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 20,036 21,651 22,856 21,890 20,137 17,938 15,321 13,653 12,516 11,981 
			  Fraud and forgery 2,158 2,470 2,845 2,601 2,577 2,310 2,117 1,946 1,750 1,427 
			  Criminal damage 1,798 1,809 1,773 1,702 1,710 1,676 1,737 1,771 1,854 2,079 
			  Drug offences 6,445 8,110 8,409 8,092 8,217 8,634 8,701 5,680 5,445 5,841 
			  Other indictable offences 8,256 8,680 8,432 8,187 7,898 8,110 8,148 8,560 8,138 7,903 
			  Indictable motoring offences 1,281 1,172 1,199 1,172 1,223 1,328 1,380 1,321 1,143 1,035 
			  Summary offences (excluding motoring) 39,868 44,834 43,472 44,399 44,484 45,910 47,613 47,062 46,217 48,190 
			  Summary motoring offences 62,217 63,575 62,052 60,376 58,787 60,410 64,843 64,096 56,616 51,056 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) 10 to 17-year-olds are classed as juveniles. (3) 18 to 20-year-olds are classed as young offenders.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice

Supervisions Orders: Costs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average cost of a supervision order was in England and Wales in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average cost of a supervision order was with  (a) one,  (b) two and  (c) three or more conditions in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	This data is not collected centrally.

Young Offenders: Custodial Treatment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department collects on the academic achievement of young people in custody; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department does not hold central records on the achievements of young people in custody. Under the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS), rolled out across England in August 2006, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) collects data on the academic achievements of young people in Young Offender Institutions. The LSC records literacy, numeracy, ICT and vocational training qualifications separately as well as GCSEs and AS/A level and any personal and social skills qualifications. However, for young people in custody still registered at learning providers in the community, their achievements will be attributed to the learning provider with which they are registered, rather than the custodial establishment's LSC provider. Therefore the LSC figures do not provide records of 'all' of the academic achievements of 'all' young people in YOIs. The LSC figures also do not include the academic achievements of young people in Secure Children's Homes or Secure Training Centres. However, in the context of the Green Paper a settlement announced in the Children's Plan. We are examining how the academic projects and attainment of all young people in custody can be collected and monitored.